Our Vines Have Tender Grapes
by sawyerzelda
Summary: DONE! Marth and Malon, royal siblings, call upon Prince Link. They visit his castle; Malon thinking of marriage. But she brings her servant, a lovely young woman that catches Link's eye, who goes by the name of Zelda...
1. The Raid

Disclaimer: I just bought the whole Nintendo company. I OWN Zelda now!! HA HA HA HA HA!!! .....................................yeah, I know, that was stupid. I don't own Zelda, but i wish that I did!!! (:  
  
Our Vines Have Tender Grapes  
  
Impa cradled her youngest daughter in her arms. She sighed, but still smiled. With five other children, it could be difficult to raise them all.  
  
Quinten ran into the room. "Hello, mummy," he said. "Darryl is asleep."  
  
"Shhh," his mother quieted him. "You'll wake Zelda." The small child stirred a bit. Impa rested her hand gently down onto her daughter's forehead, calming her. "Isn't she beautiful, Quint?"  
  
Frowning, Quinten stepped closer. "No," he answered flatly. "She's just an ugly little baby."  
  
"Quinten!" Impa scolded. "That's no way to talk to your little sister! And besides, she's not the baby of the family any more. Darryl is. Zelda just turned four."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Quint said, fiddling with his belt hole. "But that doesn't automatically make her beautiful, you know."  
  
"I think she's gorgeous," said Kathryn, the oldest child, as she stepped into the room. "I swear, someday she'll grow up to be the lovliest child in all of Altea! I'll bet that even in Hyrule you won't find a prettier face. . .I wish my hair was as blonde as all that. And oh, her eyes!"  
  
"They probably won't be blue forever," Quint argued. "A lot of babies have blue eyes when they're born, and then they change color.  
  
"If their color would changed, they'd have changed already," said Dylan, the second-oldest daughter. "She's a lovely child, mama. I'm proud to be her sister." She turned to Quint. "I am not, however, proud to be YOUR sister."  
  
"Quiet," Quint said through bared teeth. "You'll wake Zelda."  
  
"Like you'd care," Kathryn whispered in a harsh voice.  
  
A knock on the door interrupted their quarrel. "Who's that, mother?" Dylan asked worriedly, running a hand through her red hair. Impa laughed, handing Zelda over to her oldest child.  
  
"Take Zelda to bed, would you, Kathryn?" she asked. Her daughter obeyed. "And don't be so nervous, you two. It's just the Queen."  
  
"The queen?!" Dylan and Quint cried in unison. "But we haven't had a chance to wash up or anything!"  
  
"Don't worry," Impa laughed, walking over to the door. "She won't bite your head off if you don't look perfect. Besides, she's here to see Darryl."  
  
Queen Rose and Impa had been childhood friends. The royal had come every time a baby was born, claiming that a child of Impa's was a child of hers. Impa's husband, Conan, had sadly died a few months ago in a carrige accident. Darryl was to be their last child.  
  
Impa opened the door, and the Queen stepped outside. "I am without an escort tonight, my dear," the Queen said, taking off her coat. "My husband suddenly called an emergency meeting requiring all the knights."  
  
"I hope your journey was all right," Impa said.  
  
"It was wonderful my dear," Queen Rose responded. "Well, were is this new child of yours, Darryl?"  
  
Grinning Impa lead her friend into the next room. "In here."  
  
Queen Rose squeaked with excitement as she saw the small baby asleep in his crib. "Impa, he is simply one of the most adorable children I've ever seen!" She reached down and gently stroked Darryl's cheek. "His skin is so smooth. . ."  
  
"As are all babies'," Impa laughed.  
  
Laughing good-heartedly, the Queen turned to the next bed. "And this is Zelda, isn't that right?" she asked. Impa nodded. "Oh Impa, she's just a lovely child. . .you know, she and Darryl both look an awful lot alike. . ."  
  
"You know, there's something funny about that," Impa said. "They both have the same exact habit. Look, I'll show you." Impa reached down towards Zelda, and knocked on the wooden side of her bed. A small hissing sigh issued from her daughter's lips.  
  
"And Darryl does the same?" Queen Rose inquired.  
  
"Yes, try it."  
  
Grinning, the Queen did so, and the same thing happened. "What a distinct sound," she marveled. "I've never heard a sound quite like that before. . .why, if it isn't Quinten! Oh, come on in here, boy! I won't bite your head off."  
  
Blushing, Quint stepped forward. "Hello, your majesty," he said, bowing.  
  
"Hello," the Queen said. "Where are all the others?"  
  
At that moment, scuffling feet could be heard from outside the room. Kathryn stepped in, followed by Dylan, who was followed by Matt--the other boy in the family. They curtsied and bowed respectfully.  
  
"Kathryn, you just get lovlier each time I see you!" the Queen exclaimed, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.  
  
"Thank you, highness," Kathryn said, blushing and curtseying again.  
  
"And Dylan," Queen Rose said. "That hair of yours is just simply radiant!" She stroked the girl's hair lovingly.  
  
"So kind of you to say so, ma'am," Dylan said through (unnoticed) clenched teeth, as she curtsied again. She hated people touching her hair.  
  
"And Matthew," the Queen laughed, addressing the son a year older than Zelda. "If you get any more handsome, I may be tempted to leave the throne!"  
  
"You couldn't do that!" Matt exclaimed, taking her seriously. "Then we wouldn't have a Queen, even if I am tempting!"  
  
Impa, Queen Rose and the other children laughed.  
  
"Would you like to have a seat and I'll make some tea?" Impa offered.  
  
"I'm sorry, I can't stay too long. I'm making a long trip to Hyrule tomorrow, and I've got to turn in rather early. Otherwise you know I'd love to stay!"  
  
"Yes, I understand," Impa said. "I'll see you to the door. . .even though you know where it is already."  
  
"Thank you, dear." Queen Rose got her coat and raised an eyebrow. She looked around, and started slowly walking to the window.  
  
"What is it, Rose?" Impa questioned.  
  
"Do you. . .do you hear that noise?" Rose asked. "It sounds like. . ." She opened the curtains slightly, then immediately shut them. "It's horses! Impa, you and the children get into the basement immediately!"  
  
"What're you--"  
  
"Go Impa, that's an order!"  
  
Scared and confused, Impa ran back into the room. "Children, into the cellar with me, quickly!" They all quickly ran into another room, Dylan grabbing Zelda on the way. Impa opened a door in the floorboards, and they all hurried into it. The Queen dove in at the last minute.  
  
"What's this all about, mother?" Quint asked, taking Kathryn's hair out of his mouth. "Why are we--"  
  
"Shh!" Queen Rose hushed them. "Talk in whispers, children!"  
  
"Your highness, what is it?" Dylan asked.  
  
"Why are we in the cellar?" Matt demanded.  
  
Queen Rose turned to face them, the color drained out of her face. "They've come. I didn't think they'd get this far, but they've come!"  
  
"Who has?" Kathyrn asked.  
  
"I haven't much time to explain to you!" Queen Rose whispered hurriedly. "It's the soldiers from the Orpheum Woods! They're killing off the Sheikah population! Murdering adults, torturing and killing children, everyone! They believe that because of Jack the Dipper and Billy the Lid all Sheikahs must be destroyed! They've been raiding houses for months!"  
  
"Why weren't we told about this?!" Impa cried.  
  
"How should I know?! I never thought they'd come all the way down here!" Queen Rose snapped. "But you've got to be quiet!"  
  
'How can this be happening?' Impa thought to herself. Her eyes began to slowly adjust to the dark. "Kathryn, Dylan, Quint, Matt, Zelda. . .where's Darryl?! DARRYL!" In a flash, Impa ran back up the stairs and flung open the secret door.  
  
"Impa, are you insane?!" Rose shouted. "Get back before they see you!"  
  
"Mother!" Kathryn screamed, running up the stairs. "Quickly, come back!"  
  
The front door burst open. Kathryn shrieked in fright as one an iron- clad soldier grabbed her throat and pitched her across the room. Impa, carrying Darryl, attempted to quickly scurry over to her daughter.  
  
"You, woman!" one of the soldiers shouted. "What've you got in your hands?!"  
  
"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" Impa shouted. She opened a steel cupboard, shoved Darryl inside it, and quickly locked it. She threw the key into a drawer filled with others. "You'll never get it!"  
  
"Get out of the way, you wench!" the soldier shouted. He took out a dagger and plunged it unceremoniously into Impa's heart. "That'll fix you. . ."  
  
"Look, there's a door on the ground over there!" said a soldier. "There's probably vermin down there, too! Go check!"  
  
Looking around desperately, the Queen found a small ditch in the dirty floor. She grabbed Zelda and jumped into it. "Hurry children, follow me!"  
  
"I see you down there!" shouted a soldier. He jumped down the stairs and grabbed Dylan's hair.  
  
"Get off me!" she shouted sending a punch towards his face. His nose started to flow blood.  
  
"Got a tough one down here," the soldier said, getting a better grip. He handed her up the stairs to another knight. "Wait, I see two more down here! Better not take any chances with you!" He produced a sword, and whacked both Matt and Quint with the hilt of it. He looked around, then dragged them up the stairs.  
  
"MOTHER!" Queen Rose heard Dylan shout. "KAT! FATHER! ROSE, ROSE HELP US! DAD!"  
  
"Get your dirty hands off my sister and brothers!" Kathyrn choked in a hoarse voice, grabbing one of the knight's arms.  
  
"Take care of that wench!" ordered a knight.  
  
Screams. "KATHRYN!" Dylan shouted. "HELP!"  
  
"C'mon," said one soldier. "Let's go, that's all there are here."  
  
The Queen's heartbeat steadily went back to normal. All was deadly quiet above her head. Cradling Zelda in her arms, she slowly stepped up the stairs that led to the main floor. Shutting her eyes, Queen Rose climbed the last step. She set Zelda down before her. Bracing herself, the Queen opened her eyes.  
  
She emitted a short scream. By the door, Kathryn lay in a heap, a rope around her neck. She'd put up a struggle, but had been mercilessly strangled to death by one of the soldiers. Tears cascaded down the Queen's cheeks.  
  
"Rose," came a whisper. The Queen whipped around, and saw Impa in another corner. A dagger was protruding from her chest, and blood flowed out of her mouth. "Where Zelda go?"  
  
Getting to her feet, Queen Rose ran over to Zelda (now wide awake) and gave her to her mother. The Queen slowly sat down again.  
  
"Mommy, you bleeding," Zelda garbled, reaching up a hand.  
  
"I know," Impa said, smiling. She gently took Zelda's arm. "Don't touch. Hurts." Tears silently fell down her cheeks as Zelda tucked a strand of grey hair behind her mother's ear.  
  
"Mommy, you crying," Zelda sniffed.  
  
"I know," Impa whispered hoarsley.  
  
"Mommy, where did Dylan and the others go? Are they at a party? One I didn't get invited to because I'm too young? They always go places without me."  
  
"No, they're not at a party," Impa said kindly, her smile starting to fade. "Not at a party. . .Rose. . ." She turned to her friend, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Take care. . . maybe Malon will. . ."  
  
"She'll what?" Rose asked. There came no response. Impa's arm slowly slid into the dirt. "Impa!"  
  
Confused, Zelda sat up in her mother's lap. "What happened, mommy? Wake up! Don't sleep now! Get up!"  
  
Choking back tears, Rose thought of Impa's last words. "Take care. . ."  
  
Queen Rose got to her feet, picking Zelda up in her arms. The toddler turned around to face her dead mother.  
  
"Why are we leaving, Rose? Why are we just leaving mommy on the floor like that? Don't you want to put her in a bed? Why's Kathryn wearing a rope? What happened? Where are we going?"  
  
More tears escaped Rose's eyes as she closed the front door slightly behind her. "Zelda, you're going to stay with Aunt Rose for a while."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
well, what'd u think? good? bad? tell moi in ur reviews, plz. 


	2. Royal siblings

18 years later...  
  
"LINK!" shouted Princess Peach. "LINK, WHERE ARE--are, there you are for heaven's sakes! Why didn't you answer me when I called your name?"  
  
"Sorry," Prince Link apologized, shutting his book. "I wasn't really. . .er . . . paying attention. I got so wrapped up in--"  
  
"That book you were reading," Peach sighed, sitting down next to him. "What IS it, anyway? I see you with it all the time; it looks a million pages long!"  
  
"It's stunning," Link said, happy to show the book to his sister. "It's so fascinating; I can't even put it down!"  
  
"Yes, but what IS it?"  
  
"It contains the history of an abondoned civilization," Link explained. "The Sheikah! According to the book, they didn't die out too long ago. . .I'm just about to get to that part, I think. . .It just got published, and I was the first one at the book keeper's shop to buy it!"  
  
"And probably the first and only one to actually read it," Peach said, sounding bored. "Honestly. The way you pour over books sometimes seems even sillier than Darryl's obsession with horses."  
  
"Where is Darryl?" Link asked, standing up.  
  
"Where else?" Peach asked. "He's on a horse somewhere. I think he said something about going for a ride on Peck, but then, he's got so many I don't know how he keeps track of them and their names."  
  
"Well, it's just the same with you and your cats," Link commented, picking up a rather fat one that happened to be passing by. "Um. . .who's this?"  
  
"That's Cosmo. But if you're into obese cats, he's not the fattest one I've got. I think I spoil them too much."  
  
"Perhaps we could get acquainted sometime," Link said, starting to walk away.  
  
"Well," Peach said, steering Link up a staircase. "There's no time like the present! C'mon, I'll introduce you to all of them now. You've ignored my poor wittle kittens for too wong, I think."  
  
"On two conditions," Link decided, as they stopped before Peach's door. "One, that you stop talking that annoying baby talk--"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"And two: You let me read you a section of my book. It might spark some interest in you."  
  
"Um. . ." Peach put a dainty finger to her chin, thinking very hard. "Oh, fine. I'll let you read me part of your stupid book. C'mon inside."  
  
Link walked into Peach's room, and she shut the door behind them. It was filled with cats. Cats everywhere! But none of them seemed to be making any noise. They all stared at Link momentarily, then looked away.  
  
"Okay, let's get started!" Peach cried enthusiastically. She motioned towards a grey cat that had started nuzzling his head into Link's leg. "That one's Spoc--he loves people and attention." She pointed to two cats that were circling each other, starting to hiss. "Those are Debbie and Tanya, the two youngest."  
  
"How can you tell them apart?" Link asked. They seemed identical.  
  
"Because I'm me." Peach gestured towards three black cats. "Misee, Fred and Ryan." A cat darted under the bed. "That was Chris. He doesn't like people. And up on the drawer over there is Brenda. And in the basket are Peaches (named after me, of course) and Maggie--they never move; they're like two potatoes, and Alley Cat over there is blind in one eye, Heathcliffe is very sweet (he's back on the pouf), Lucy and Brine are asleep over in the orange basket, Big Cat and Harvey Girl are on the nighstand--I hope they don't break it, they're getting increasingly fat-- and. . .oh yes, there's Mariah."  
  
Link did a double take and looked at Mariah again. She was outside on the balcony, sitting completely still. He'd mistaken her for a statue.  
  
"She sits like that all the time," Peach sighed. "Poor Mariah. Oh well."  
  
"LINK, PEACH, COME DOWN HERE!" came a voice.  
  
"Coming!" the siblings yelled in unison. They rushed out of the room and flew down the several flights of stairs. Link opened the door that led into the hallway, and they walked (in a very regal fashion) to the throne room.  
  
Darryl was already inside, standing next to the King and Queen, grinning as his brother and sister entered the room. "What took you two so long? I was looking for you all over the castle."  
  
"We were in Peach's room," Link responded. "She showed me her large assortment of feline friends."  
  
"That reminds me," Queen Madeline sighed. "Peach, I have the most terrible news. Squeaks got run over by a carrige yesterday. One of the cooks realized he was missing, because he always sneaks into the kitchen around dinner time, and went to look for him." She sighed again. "I am sorry."  
  
Peach stared at her mother blankly. "Um. . .Squeaks?" Her mother nodded. The princess blinked. "Oh yes, Squeaks! I forgot that he--" Peach's eyes widened. "SQUEAKS GOT RUN OVER BY A CARRIGE AND NOW HE'S DEAD?!? I SWEAR I'LL KILL WHOEVER DID IT!!!" Roaring with anger, Peach fled from the room and outside the castle.  
  
"Well, what was it you wanted to tell us, father?" Link asked.  
  
"We'd hoped that Peach would be here to hear this as well," Queen Madeline said. "But I suppose it's all right if we tell her later, right?"  
  
"Yeah," Darryl said.  
  
"Yes," his mother corrected him.  
  
"YES. Just what is it that you wanted to say?"  
  
"That the royal family of Altea has planned a long, extensive visit to Hyrule!" the King answered joyfully.  
  
Darryl's expression brightened, but Link's shoulders dropped slightly. "That's simply wonderful!" Darryl cried. "We haven't seen them for years!"  
  
"That's true," Queen Madeline said. "Only this time, the dear Queen shall not be with them."  
  
"I feel so terrible for Marth and Malon," Darryl sighed ruefully. "I don't know how they could possibly get along through life without a mother. It was a. . .a fatal disease of some sort, wasn't it? I feel terrible not remembering, but it was oh so long ago that she passed away."  
  
"Seizure," Queen Madeline said.  
  
"When are they arriving?" Link asked with curiousity.  
  
"In exactly one week," the Queen replied. "So I expect you two-- three, that is--to fulfill your duties as hosts--and Peach as a hostess-- and be as kind and courteous as you possibly can be with those two."  
  
"Of course we will, mother," Darryl laughed. "Is there anything else you would wish to tell us?"  
  
"Not, that is all," the King answered, dismissing them.  
  
Laughing, Darryl skipped out into the courtyard. Link trudged slowly after him. His younger brother stopped skipping and turned towards him.  
  
"What's the matter, Link?" Darryl asked. "You suddenly seem so down in the dumps! Did one of Peach's cats bite you? 'Cause one time I went in there and Tanya (or Debbie, I'm not sure) leapt right on top of me and--"  
  
"No, I didn't get attacked by a cat," Link answered, sitting down on the grass. "Though I might as well have been bitten by all of them."  
  
"That's a lot of pain," Darryl deduced, sitting down next to his brother. "But if it wasn't a cat attack, what is it?"  
  
"That the Alteans are coming," Link grunted, picking up a blade of grass and nonchalantly twirling it in his fingers.  
  
"Well what's the problem with that?!" Darryl asked, shocked. "I think that they're great! Malon is one of the most beautiful people I've ever set my eyes upon, I think. Even if she is older than me, she--"  
  
"Beauty is only skin-deep," Link advised. "I know Malon better than you do. And Marth's no better. He acts so superior sometimes."  
  
"Well, he IS superior," Darryl said, in a that-should-be-very-obvious tone of voice. "We all are."  
  
"You don't really believe that, do you, Darryl?" Link asked. "I mean, sure we're royalty, but that doesn't mean we're Gods or Goddesses. We're supposed to help the people, and we have the power to."  
  
"You're beginning to sound like Queen Rose," Darryl sighed. "Her children never liked her, I can remember that much about them."  
  
"Well it's easy to see that our mother cares more about the people than you do," Link said. "I'm just glad you're not the next heir."  
  
"You're not either," Darryl said. "Peach is, and she'll turn this place around."  
  
Link turned around and looked at his brother. Sandy golden hair, and deep blue eyes; very similar to himself. "You know, you ought to read my book on the Sheikah. The Alteans did terrible stuff to them."  
  
"Whatever the reason they had for it, I'm sure the Sheikah deserved it," Darryl said curtly.  
  
"I don't think they had a very good reason," Link said, standing up. "Not even a King or Queen has the right to slaughter the innocent." With that, he stormed back into the castle and into his bedroom.  
  
"I FOUND THE GUILTY BEAST!!"  
  
Darryl jumped as he heard his sister's voice ring out across the courtyard. He turned to look at her. Peach was dragging a small old man behind her, who was yapping away in some strange language. She hauled him into the throne room.  
  
"Mother, father," Peach addressed them, standing the old man up. "This is the man responsible for killing Squeaks!"  
  
The man started wringing his hands, jabbering in some language. King George held up a hand, then spoke: "Jabry ng yofu tay dou bai?"  
  
Confused by the King's words, the old man shook his head and started jabbering again. Laughing, the King turned to Peach. "My dearest daughter, this man has been talking to you in Ancient Mushroom. When he said 'I ran over your cat,' that meant in his language, 'Will you buy a pickle?'. He owns a pickle shop."  
  
Peach showed no sign of humiliation. She was never embarressed by a mistake. "Okay then!" she said, smiling. "You just run along back to your pickle shop, little old man! And don't forget to save the whales!"  
  
Grinning, King George told the man he was free to go. Clicking his heels (an odd sight for an elderly fellow), he left the castle.  
  
"Well, that was interesting," Darryl said, bowing to his parents. "But if you'll both excuse me, I must start cleaning my room and preparing for the Alteans to come."  
  
"Why, are you expecting one of them to go up there?" Peach asked sourly. She and Malon had been childhood rivals.  
  
"Ha, ha," Darryl said flatly. "I thought they might want a tour of our castle. In case you've forgotten, we just had it re-decorated a couple years ago."  
  
"Why don't you have one of the servants do it?" Peach asked incredulously. "Why on earth would you want to spend time cleaning your room when someone else could do it for you? Don't you have better stuff to do?"  
  
"I want to clean it myself," Darryl answered through gritted teeth. "There's stuff in there that I don't want anyone to see but me. I'll willingly do the job alone."  
  
"But my dear," Queen Madeline said. "Did you not hear me before? They aren't coming for another week."  
  
"He heard you," said Peach. "It'll take him just about that long for him to clean up his room. It looks like a tornado hit it."  
  
Fuming, Darryl began to leave the room. "Just watch, I'm going to think of a brilliant comeback when I'm through with my room!" The prince hopped up the steps that led to his quarters. He opened the door, and then closed it loudly behind him.  
  
Sighing softly, Darryl let himself fall gently onto his bed. He glanced up to make sure the curtains were drawn and the door was locked. Blindly, the prince reached beneath his bed and pulled up a tattered blanket--one that could probably serve as a face towel or washcloth now.  
  
It had been stitched with blue thread, which had previously been his favorite color (ever since he met Malon, it had been red). He'd had the blanket for as long as he could remember. Darryl turned the blanket over.  
  
Small pictures (not photos, pictures) had been sewn into the cloth. When he was younger, Darryl had approached his mother, asking who the people in the pictures were. She didn't know. Neither did his father. And neither did Link or Peach. The King said that Darryl had been born very unexpectedly, and he himself had rushed to the nearest store to get a blanket (they'd been traveling at the time). He simply hadn't cared enough to think about who the people were.  
  
For years, Darryl had studied the people. There were six of them. One of them was an adult, with mostly greying hair. Their expressions were slightly hard to make out, but she appeared to have been smiling. The next picture was of a young woman, with blondish brown hair, and her blue eyes certainly stood out. Next was a young boy who seemed very serious, followed by a red-headed young girl, looking as if she were trying to contain a giggle. Then there were two very young children: a small boy with blackish hair, and the girl had lovely blonde tresses. Surely they were someone. . .  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
IMPORTANT Author's note:  
  
Peach's cats are based on real cats I know at a nearby humane society. If any of you readers happen to live in or near New Rochelle, please stop by there and adopt a kitty!  
  
And of course, review! 


	3. An Unknown Past

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
19 years ago...  
  
Stifling a yawn, Dylan walked into her mother's bedroom. "What is it you wanted with me, mom? It's only seven o'clock in the morning!"  
  
"The early bird catches the worm," Impa said.  
  
"I hate your maxims, mother. They're so annoying!"  
  
"Well, they're true. Sit down, Dylan. I want to draw you."  
  
"DRAW me?! Whatever for? You know what I look like, why in Din's name should you need a portrait of me?"  
  
"It's not for me," Impa answered. "And for goodness' sakes, don't use the Goddesses names in vain, child! Have I taught you nothing?"  
  
"Sorry mother," Dylan apologized, sitting down on the bed. Impa told her to smile, and she did so. "So if this isn't for you, what's it for?"  
  
"I just finished sewing a blanket for Darryl," Impa explained. "So now I want to draw pictures of all of us and sew them into it. That way, he'll always have his family with him when he goes to sleep."  
  
"But mother, he hasn't even been born yet," Dylan laughed.  
  
"Keep still, will you?" Impa asked, smiling a bit herself.  
  
Dylan found it very hard to keep a straight face while her mother drew her, but she did her best. Then Zelda came bouncing into the room, and leapt on top of the bed next to her mother. "Good morning, mommy," she said.  
  
"Don't move the bed, dear," Impa said. "I'm trying to draw Dylan." She sighed. "So far, she's turning out just like Quentin. She's not smiling. Zelda, will you do something that will make your sister look like she's. . .enjoying herself or something?"  
  
"Okay." Zelda crawled behind Impa's back, and started making faces at her older sister. Dylan started to giggle, finding Zelda's antics quite funny. Impa looked up and smiled brightly.  
  
"Whatever you're doing, it's working, Zelda," Impa said. "Stick around, will you? I want to draw you next. . ."  
  
"Did you do Kathryn and Matthew yet?" Dylan asked, still laughing.  
  
"Kathryn yes, Matthew no," Impa said, trying not to get distracted too much by thinking. "And, if I do say so myself, Kat's turned out quite nicely. And if you stop shaking with laughter, Dylan, yours will come out good too."  
  
"Sorry," Dylan giggled.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
1 year later...  
  
"Look here's another one," said King George. He led his horse over to a wrecked house. "Come Madeline, there may be survivors."  
  
"I don't understand," Queen Madeline sighed, getting off her horse and walking up to the house with her husband. "Why would anyone want to simply kill an entire civilization just because they're. . .different from us?"  
  
"They're not even that different," King George said, attempting to open the door. "If a Sheikah child was raised in another community, they'll grow up just like the people around them. Once they reach the age of fifteen, you'd never know that they were a Sheikah. That's what amazes me the--WHY WON'T THIS BLASTED DOOR OPEN?!" The King pulled the doorknob as hard as he could.  
  
The Queen stepped forward. She gently grasped the doorknob and pushed. The door swung open. Cautiously, the royal pair stepped inside. Queen Madeline pushed the door further, when it something softly.  
  
"What--?" The Queen wondered, shutting the door behind them. She gasped. "George, look! It's a girl!"  
  
King George stepped over. It was Kathryn. "The poor girl. Looks as if one of those soldiers strangled her. . ." He examined the footprints in the dirt surrounding her. "But it looks as if she gave a fair fight. This house must not have been raided too long ago. . .it could've even been last night."  
  
"George, there's someone over there!" Madeline cried, rushing over to Impa's body. The Queen recoiled as she saw blood surrounding the Sheikah corpse. "The poor woman must have been stabbed. . .yes, there's the dagger, look. The blood is mostly wet. They were probably attacked yesterday."  
  
"I'm going to look around the house," King George announced. "There may be others around." He started to search the rooms.  
  
Queen Madeline tenderly took hold of Impa's hand. Several strands of greying hair fell over the dead woman's face, which wore a blank expression. The Queen stroked Impa's hand, wondering desperately who she had been. . .the hands were gentle like those of a caring mother, but also calloused like those of one who worked very hard.  
  
A small cry interrupted the deadly silence. Queen Madeline's head snapped up at the sound of it. Surely it wasn't George, he didn't cry like that. . .it sound like a child's. . .  
  
She heard the cry again. Slowly, the Queen stood up. A baby was softly crying somewhere. Queen Madeline turned around, and her eyes were immediately attracted to the steel cabinet in front of her. As the Queen stepped closer, the cries became more and more audible. She clasped her hand on the knob, but it wouldn't open. She tried again, to no avail. Then she noticed a key hole.  
  
The crying went on. Queen Madeline knew she couldn't just let the child stay in there. She noticed a small drawer that had been left slightly ajar. The Queen wrenched it open, and saw that it was filled with keys. "Which one is it?!" she asked the air.  
  
Queen Madeline carefully examined the key hole. "Don't worry, I'll get you out of there!" she murmured to the child locked inside. "What kind of cruel being would go about locking a baby in a--silver, there it is!"  
  
The drawer was filled with mostly bronze and golden keys. One silver one stuck out, one that matched the steel cabinet's color. Queen Madeline seized it, and jammed it into the key hole. She twisted it, and the door slowly opened. She reached inside, and took out the small child.  
  
It continued to cry. "Don't cry, don't cry," the Queen soothed. "It'll be all right, the raiders are gone. . ." Of course, she knew that nothing would be all right. The child's mother was dead. But slowly, the baby's cries came to a stop.  
  
King George walked back into the room. "I couldn't find anyone else, so I guess that there's--what's that you've got there, Madeline?"  
  
"I just found this baby," his wife explained. "Someone had locked him in that cabinet and I got him out. . ."  
  
"He must've lived here," King George said.  
  
"Thank you, Captain Obvious," the Queen said, giving her husband an annoyed look. "He was crying terribly when I found him, but I think he's gone back to sleep now. I wonder what his name is. . ."  
  
"I found a crib in one of the rooms," King George spoke up. "It had the name Darryl on it."  
  
"Darryl. . ." the Queen muttered to herself. "Darryl. . ." She looked up at the King with hopeful eyes. "Could we. . .could we adopt him, George? Where else will he go? I'm sure Peach and Link won't mind."  
  
King George seemed slightly taken aback. "Adopt him? Madeline, we know nothing of this family or its history! Surely you don't want to just-- "  
  
"But you just told me all about how the Sheikah can adjust to the culture they grow up in! And why couldn't Darryl learn to become Hylian? For heaven's sakes, he's just a baby! PLEASE, George!"  
  
The King sighed and looked down at the baby. "Well, Link has always said that he wanted a little brother. . ."  
  
"And I know Peach would be thrilled to have another chance to push another child around in a baby carrige!" the Queen added, grinning. "Link seems to have outgrown that stage."  
  
"Prine might get jealous," King George joked. "You know Peach's cats always take the priority."  
  
"Oh, Prine and Lucy won't be around that much longer," Queen Madeline said. "Oh but George, can we really take Darryl home with us?"  
  
"Of course we can. Consider him an anniversary present."  
  
"Thank you George, so much!" the Queen cried, looking down at her new child. "Oh, I just know that Peach and Link will be thrilled! And so will Hyrule, I know it! Just wait until I tell Rose that we've gotten another child!"  
  
King George rolled his eyes as the walked out of the house and back onto their horses. Queen Madeline continued to ramble.  
  
"I know Rose just took in another child, but I'm not sure what her name was. All I know is that she's taking away Malon's attention, and that's making that little princess very annoyed. I wonder when we'll see them again."  
  
"Soon, I'm sure," sighed King George. "But for now, let's just worry about getting home. . .the sight of these houses are making me sick."  
  
"Aren't they?" Queen Madeline sniffed. "Who on earth would DO a thing like this? If I ever find out which country or which people are responsible for this, and for killing Darryl's family, I'll--"  
  
"I get the point, dear," the King interrupted. "But right now, we don't know who did it, so just calm down."  
  
Twenty minutes later, the King and Queen were back in their royal chambers. King George tugged lightly at the blanket surrounding his new son. "Just feel this cloth. Not suitable for a prince at all. I'll just get rid of it and get him a new one."  
  
"All right," the Queen agreed. She began to pull the blanket off of Darryl, and jumped slightly. "George, look!"  
  
"What is it?" the King asked, sitting down next to her on the bed. Queen Madeline pulled the blanket off of him completely. "My word!"  
  
There were small pictures sewn into the frail coverlet. Six of them. The Queen gasped. She pointed at Impa's picture. "George, that was the woman I found who had been stabbed!"  
  
"And that's the girl that was strangled," King George said, indicating towards Kathryn. "These other children must be his. . ."  
  
"Family," Queen Madeline finished for him, her eyes watering up. "Oh, they look like they were such a lovely household of people. . .look at that one," she said, smiling and pointing at Dylan. "She looks so happy. They all look so happy. . .well, except for that one boy. He looks a little serious."  
  
"We can't just take this away from him," George sighed. "It must be very special to him and his. . .late. . .family."  
  
"Then let's keep it," Queen Madeline said.  
  
"But we can't let him know that he's not a royal Hylian," King George said. "If we do, he'll. . .well, trust me that he won't look at us the same way ever again. He can never know who he really is."  
  
"Then we won't tell him," the Queen decided. "But he's going to keep this blanket. I want him to have it."  
  
"If it is your wish to do so," King George judged, "then we'll keep it. Come and help me find Link's old crib. He doesn't need it any more, but some one does."  
  
"Yes, let's go."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Present...  
  
"I can't wait for tomorrow!" Darryl squeaked, putting away his sword. He had just been practicing with Link. "The Alteans are coming!"  
  
"Really? I forgot," Link said sarcastically as they headed back towards the castle. "How silly of me."  
  
"Oh come on," Darryl sighed. "Aren't you even the least bit excited?"  
  
"I would be if Rose was coming," Link said. "She was so kind, to me and to everyone else. It's so terrible that she had to pass away."  
  
"Well, she did, I'm afraid." Darryl walked to the door that ultimately led to his bedroom (he had to climb several steps before actually getting there). "Good-night, Link." He grinned. "See you tomorrow."  
  
"Night."  
  
Sighing slightly, Link headed into his room. He lay down on the bed, wanting only to sleep. He didn't bother changing his clothes, even though he knew that his mother would kill him for it--if she ever found out, anyway.  
  
So Malon was coming tomorrow. Great. And Marth too, of course. King George had said that they were planning an "extensive visit," which probably meant that they'd be there for months.  
  
Letting out another troubled sigh, Link turned over. If they were staying for a very long time, they'd probably bring their servants with them. Marth had brought one once. He treated the poor man terribly, and Link felt horrid about it. After that, he was sure that all of his own personal servants never endured anything like it.  
  
"I guess I'll have to just hope for the best," Link thought to himself. Finally, after staring into space for several minutes, sleep took the Hylian prince as its victim.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
reviews r appreciated people, hope u liked that chapter. 


	4. Arrival At Hyrule

~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Zelda splashed cold water in her face, sighing. Well, today was the day. She was finally going Hyrule. Not as a normal person, like she'd have wished, but as Princess Malon's servant. Ooh, how she hated that woman!  
  
Until Queen Rose died, Zelda had always been treated equally by Altea's royal family. But now that her mother was gone, Malon had seemed to suddenly let out her rage and hate and anger at Zelda--full blast.  
  
Malon had approached her father at a young age, and asked if Zelda could become her servant. King Marcum had always detested Zelda because of her Sheikah heritage. And he kept it no secret from her. Queen Rose, however, had always protected Zelda fiercley, as if she were her own daughter. But once the Queen passed away, King Marcum allowed Malon to do with her what she wished.  
  
"ZELDA!!" Malon screeched. "GET OVER HERE IMMEDIATELY!"  
  
Grunting with annoyance, Zelda stormed into Malon's room. "What is it that you want, your highness?"  
  
"Comb my hair out for me, will you?" Malon said in a sing-song voice, handing Zelda her comb. Sighing, the servant took it. "What's the matter, Cindersoot?" Malon asked. "Aren't you excited for the trip?"  
  
Zelda clenched her teeth together tightly. Ever since she'd developed the habit of sleeping by the fire (and eventually having to put it out), soot was always on her face. Malon had given her the nickname "Cindersoot." She felt annoyed by Malon's question, but answered it anyway. "I'm just ecstatic about it."  
  
"That's wonderful," Malon said, though not really sounding as if she thought so. "I wonder if that stuck-up Peach will like me any better this time. You never got to meet her, because you got sick the last time we went to Hyrule. Darryl is a sweet boy, but he's no comparison with Link. Oh, Link is so suave, and handsome and. . ."  
  
As Malon continued to ramble, Zelda rolled her eyes. Heavens, she talked about Link so much! She was sick of hearing about him. Zelda felt that she didn't have the need to meet Link; Malon had already given her a good idea of basically what he was like. She knew his favorite color, what he was allergic to, and what kind of books he liked to read.  
  
"Zelda, I said stop!" Malon shouted, wrenching the girl's hand off of her hair. "Have you gone deaf or something?"  
  
"I-I'm sorry," Zelda stammered. "I didn't hear you."  
  
"Obviously," Malon sighed, rolling her eyes. "Why don't you make yourself useful and take my bags outside. Maybe Roy will help you--he's helping Marth with his, and I'm sure he'll give you a hand."  
  
"I can pick up a bag myself, thank you," Zelda huffed, grabbing three of Malon's suitcases. "I'll be right back."  
  
Malon said nothing as Zelda stalked out of the room. As she walked outside, she saw Roy putting some of Marth's bags into the carrige. Seeing Zelda, he immediately rushed over.  
  
"Here, let me help you with those," he offered.  
  
"No thanks," Zelda said, lifting one of the bags into the carrige. "I'm doing just fine on my own." She grunted, and shoved the last satchel into the horse-drawn vehicle.  
  
Roy stared hungrily at Zelda. She wasn't fit to be a servant, she should be a princess. He knew that her beauty surpassed anyone in the world, and that included Malon--who, for some time, had suitors slobbering all over her, begging for her hand.  
  
"Um. . .Roy, what're you staring at?" Zelda asked, noticing that he was looking at her in a way that made her quite uncomfortable.  
  
"Oh, uh. . .I was just, sorry. . .nothing. . ." He started muttering incomprehensibly, very embarrassed. Roy gazed at Zelda's curvaceous figure as she went back to Malon's room. "If only you knew, Zelda. . ."  
  
An hour later, they were all on their way to Hyrule.  
  
"Look, Zelda!" Malon said. "It's that dumpy forest where you used to live! Aren't you glad that we saved you and now you're a servant in a castle? Come now, don't you want to see?"  
  
"No," Zelda answered in a monotone. She was huddled in a corner of the carrige, not looking out of any of the windows. 'Besides,' she thought to herself. 'I'm more of a slave than a servant, wouldn't you agree?'. After thinking more angry, dark thoughts about Malon, Zelda drifted into sleep.  
  
A few hours later, the group reached Hyrule castle. Roy nudged Zelda, and she sat up drowsily. Her hair had become slightly tousled. Malon turned towards her with one of her most disapproving looks.  
  
"Zelda, I thought I told you to clean all that soot off your face!" she snapped. "You're a disgrace to us! You'd better not look Link in the eye once we seem them, he'll think we keep a dirty castle!" Malon gasped. "Oh, look! They've all come to meet us at the gate, how exciting!"  
  
Indeed, the Hylian royals had all congregated at the front of their castle to meet the Alteans. Link and Peach had come rather grudgingly, but their parents forced them both to be polite and come along.  
  
"Link!" Malon cried, running up to him and hugging him tightly. "It has simply been much too long since I've seen you! Oh, I'm so glad that we're here!"  
  
"Erm. . .yes, me too," Link said rather impassively.  
  
Darryl stared darkly at his brother. Filled with jealous rage, he wished vainly that Malon would rush over to him and embrace him.  
  
"So nice to see you again, Darryl," Malon said, finally stepping away from Link. Her smile twitched slightly. "And Peach. . .such a pleasure."  
  
"Yes, it is, really," Peach cried, wanting to make her parents look good by pretending that she actually was quite pleased. "And Prince Marth, I can't believe how handsome you've become! You simply take my breath away!"  
  
"One could easily say the same of you," Marth beamed. He bent down and kissed Peach's hand. Link and Darryl did the same for Malon (Link only doing it out of politeness, and of course, to please his mother).  
  
"And who do we have over there?" King George asked curiously, nodding towards Zelda and Roy, who were now stepping out of the carrige.  
  
"Oh, they're just the servants we brought with us," Marth answered, speaking as though it really wasn't all that important.  
  
"Well, since they'll be living with us for a while, perhaps it would be nice if we learned their names," Queen Madeline suggested.  
  
Walking over, Zelda couldn't help giving Link an amorous glance before she curtsied. She knew immediately that this was the man that Malon was infatuated with, and she could easily tell why.  
  
"This is my maid, Zelda," Malon said.  
  
"And this would be my manservant, Roy," Marth said.  
  
"I hope you enjoy your stay at our castle," Queen Madeline said, trying to look into the eyes of the two servants. Both of them had their eyes glued to the ground. "Please allow me to introduce my children. This is my daughter, Peach."  
  
Zelda and Roy still faced the ground, but curtsied and bowed respectively. Malon and Marth had ordered them not to make eye contact, even if the Hylians found it rude in any way.  
  
"And this is my oldest son, Link," Queen Madeline continued. "And our third child, Darryl."  
  
At the sound of that name, Zelda's eyes darted upward. She stared at the Prince in shock. He had the same physical traits as her late baby brother--same hair, same eyes, same smile, even. Zelda suddenly got a little frightened. It wasn't until Malon nudged her that she once more lowered her glance.  
  
"It's an honor meeting you all," Zelda stammered.  
  
"And we consider it an honor staying here," King Marcum said. "Why don't you show us where we'll all be sleeping? We've had a very long and tiresome trip, and I know my children should like to take a small nap before dinner."  
  
"Of course," King George obliged. "Please follow me. . ."  
  
****************  
  
About thirty minutes later, the Altean royals were all situated in their rooms and had gone to sleep. Roy had also decided to take a small nap, so Zelda was left alone in the large Hyrule castle.  
  
Zelda decided to go exploring. She stepped inside of a large room, filled with rows and rows of books. Obviously, it was their library. Scanning the shelves, Zelda noticed that several of the manuscripts were written in Ancient Hylian, a language she had never learned.  
  
She heard a small meow. Zelda turned with curiousity, looking around for the cat that had made the noise. There was a hiss, and the sound of claws scraping on wood. Then Zelda saw small feet sticking out from underneath a couch. Slightly worried, she slowly stuck her hand underneath the piece of furniture.  
  
"Ouch!" she exclaimed. The cat had bit her finger. "C'mon kitty, I'm only trying to help you out!" Eventually, she managed to grab a hold of the cat and pull it out. "Now where did you come from?"  
  
The cat squirmed and continued to hiss. Zelda noticed a thin piece of string around his neck, and a small tag on it read, "Peaches." She could only assume that that meant the cat was Peach's. Trying to remember where the princess's room was, Zelda walked out of the library with the feline in hand.  
  
Fortunately, Zelda saw Peach walking down the hall not too soon after exiting the library. "Excuse me, Princess," Zelda called out. Peach turned around and started walking towards her.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I was wondering if this was your cat," Zelda answered. "I found her in the library, and she's wearing a piece of string that says 'Peaches' on it."  
  
Peach rushed over and took her cat into her arms. "Why, yes! I've been looking all over for her! It's so unlike Peaches to just run off like that; she normally just lies in her basket all day. Thank you so much. . .Zelda."  
  
"I only wish I could do more," Malon's servant said, curtsying and beginning to walk away.  
  
"W-wait!" Peach said, stopping Zelda. "Perhaps you could do me another favor, dear. You see, my brother wants me to read this book that he got, and there's something written in Altean. I've never learned the language, and the stupid book didn't offer a translation. It would ever so helpful if you could lend me a hand."  
  
"Of course," Zelda said. "I'd be glad too."  
  
"That's wonderful!" Peach cried. "Just come with me up to my room and I'll get the book."  
  
As they got into Peach's room, the princess dropped her cat to the floor. Peaches scurried over to her basket and went right back to sleep. Zelda, afraid that she'd either dirty up Peach's furniture or sit on a cat, stood against the wall.  
  
"Hold on a minute, I just have to find it. . ." Peach mumbled, opening a desk drawer. "Oh, don't stand against the wall there, dear, just take a seat on my bed."  
  
"Thank you, miss." Zelda slowly sat on the edge of Peach's bed, eyeing Debbie and Tanya carefully (they were coming dangerously closer). Suddenly, Spoc flew out of no where and landed on top of Zelda's lap. He fell quickly asleep.  
  
"Here it is," Peach announced, sitting down next to Zelda with the book. "By the way, that's Spoc. If you want him to get off, just pinch his sides. Spoc is very sweet; he loves to be around people."  
  
Zelda rubbed Spoc's ears before saying, "So what is it that you wanted me to translate for you, highness?"  
  
"It's right here," Peach answered, flipping through the pages and stopping on 346. "That speech bubble over the man with the goatee. I'd try translating it myself, but I can't find my Hylian-Altean dictionary."  
  
"Okay," Zelda laughed. "It says 'The Sheikahs have stolen our national embers; the Sacred Jade stones."  
  
"Sacred Jade stones?!" Peach asked with excitement. "Wow, maybe this book'll be worth reading! Thank you very much dear, you're really too ki-- OH MYYYY! Zelda dear, you've got soot all over your face! Surely you don't prefer it that way!"  
  
"Er. . .no, not really," Zelda said, not really sure if Peach had been expecting an answer or not.  
  
"Come with me," Peach said, grabbing Zelda's hand. "I really think you should bathe before dinner. I always do; it makes me feel so much cleaner--but then of course, that's what a bath is supposed to do." The princess rested a hand on the tub's handle. "Hot or cold water, Zel?"  
  
"Uh, it doesn't really matter," Zelda answered, turning slightly pink.  
  
Peach put her index finger in her mouth and pulled it out quickly, seeming to test the wind in the bathroom (where all the windows were closed). She squinted her eyes. "We'll settle for warm," the princess finally decided, turning on both handles. "Well, the soap's over there, that's the drain, towels are on the bureau over there, and I'll just be in my room reading."  
  
"Th-thank you, majesty," Zelda stammered, suddenly feeling very warm. "But I can't see a point in cleaning myself if I'll just end up getting dirty again with this dress. Thanks for the offer, though."  
  
"NONSENSE!" Peach cried joyvially. "Let me see. . .yes, dark blue seems to be your color. . .here, you can borrow one of my dresses. I know all your bag is in Malon's room, and it would be deadly to try and get in there while she's asleep." Peach held out the dress to Zelda, who stood there dumbly. "Go on, dear. Take it."  
  
Mistified, Zelda slowly reached out and took the dress. She bent down slightly, attempting a bow. "Thank you, highness."  
  
"Oh, you don't have to be so formal all the time," Peach insisted. "Just call me Peach! We're practically friends! Well, I'll just leave you to take your bath, and I'll just be reading in my room, okay?"  
  
"Okay," Zelda said, grinning.  
  
"No problem," said Peach, smiling and shutting the door behind her.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: in my other story, peach was a poop. so, i decided 2 make her nice in this one!! hope u liked!! dont 4get 2 review!!! 


	5. Getting the lowdown

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"I wonder what's taking Zelda so long," Roy sighed, sitting at a table in the castle's kitchen. "You'd think that I was in an easy place to find. . ."  
  
"It ain't that easy to find your way 'round this castle, you know," said one of the Hylian cooks, named Scarlett. "Especially if you've never been here before--I remember seeing you years ago, Roy, but I don't know no Zelda."  
  
"She was dreadfully ill the last time we came," Roy explained. "Unfortunately, she wasn't able to make it. However, she's feeling much bet. . ."  
  
Roy's voice trailed off as he saw Zelda walk through the kitchen door. All the soot that had been caked onto her body had dissolved in the bath water, and Peach's dress was a very flattering fit. She sat down next to Roy, feeling slightly self-concious in the Princess' lovely dress.  
  
"You--you, uh. . .look great," Roy stuttered, staring at Zelda in awe.  
  
"Um, thanks," Zelda said uncomfortably, blushing. "Well, Malon told me that I was to come downstairs to eat dinner, so. . .here I am, I guess."  
  
"Of course, dear," Scarlett said, setting down a bowl of stew. "Would you happen to be Zelda, this one that Roy's been talkin' about non-stop?"  
  
"Non-stop, hm?" Zelda asked, turning to Roy. "Well, yes, I am Zelda. I guess we'll all be spending dinners together from now on, so may I ask what your name is?"  
  
"Yes, of course," Scarlett laughed. "My name's Scarlett, that's Cody, and Sophie is over there in the corner."  
  
Cody, a large black man, sat down next to Zelda. "Have you ever been to Hyrule castle before?"  
  
"No," Zelda answered. "This is my first. . .and so far, it's been very thrilling." She wasn't very enthusiastic when she said this, but she didn't sound sarcastic either. "I guess I can only hope that things don't get worse."  
  
"Since you don't know the royal's 'round here," said Sophie, sitting across from Cody, "perhaps we could fill you in on them a bit. See, we're only the cooks, so we don't hear too much from the princes and princess themselves, but aaaallllllll the other servants love to tell us everything there is to know."  
  
"Erm. . .okay," Zelda said, a little confused.  
  
"Princess Peach is a very pleasant person, unless she has one of her wild mood swings," Scarlett said. "She's quite a picky eater, but is also very forgiving. She NEVER gets embarrassed, she likes dancing, and she's obsessed with her cats."  
  
"I've met her cats," Zelda said.  
  
"Aye, the cats," Sophie sighed wistfully. "I remember poor Squeaks used to always come in here before dinner to see if he could get a bite to eat. . .not to say that the Princess doesn't feed the cats enough, but he just liked to follow the smells. . ." She started sobbing hysterically, and Scarlett put a comforting arm around her.  
  
"Squeaks got run over a couple days ago," she explained to the very confused Roy and Zelda. "Anyway, movin' on. Next we have Prince Link."  
  
Zelda rolled her eyes. "Trust me, there probably isn't a thing I don't know about him. He likes the colors green and yellow, he loves reading about geography and culture, he's allergic to pepper and curry, crickets make him nervous, he has arachnaphobia, his horse is named Epona, he knows how to play the ocarina, and he's never tried lobster." She said this all very quickly, and stopped to take a deep breath.  
  
"How'd you--" Sophie started.  
  
"He's had more schooling than his brother or sister, he likes doing algebra, when he was three he had a pet turtle named Terri who was eaten by a Skull-kid, he likes to draw and paint, he hates fishing, he likes to fence using his 'Master Sword,' he enjoys writing haikus, he's never been stung by a bee, he practices his fighting skills at eleven-thirty at night and six in the morning, and his favorite season is winter."  
  
Cody, Scarlett, Roy and Sophie stared at Zelda blankly. "Wow," the black cook finally said. "You barely know him, and yet you're already infatuated!"  
  
"That's not what it's like," Zelda sighed. "Being Princess Malon's personal servant, I know pretty much everything there is to know about Prince Link. SHE'S the one who's smitten by him."  
  
"Aye, I remember that," Sophie laughed. "She'll stop at nothin' to make him love her, that red-headed princess. She and Princess Peach have been rivals ever since they first met each other."  
  
"Really?" Zelda asked curiously. "That's interesting. . .all I know is that Malon is seriously head-over-heels about this guy." She hesitated before asking, "So. . .what's Darryl like?"  
  
"Well, he can be unbelievably supercilious sometimes," Scarlett sighed, leaning back in her chair. "But he certainly does have an air about him. If you ask me, I'm surprised he's not related to Prince Marth and Princess Malon. . ."  
  
"Who's to say he's not?" Cody asked mysteriously.  
  
"What d'you mean?" Scarlett, Sophie and Roy asked with curiousity.  
  
Cody looked around before answering them. "Well, a couple years back I heard some rumors that Prince Darryl doesn't have any actual royal blood in him. He was adopted by their majesties when he was barely a newborn!"  
  
Zelda dropped her fork loudly. Everyone turned to look at her.  
  
"Sorry," she muttered.  
  
"Interesting rumor," Sophie laughed. "But there ain't no chance of Darryl not bein' a true Prince. The way he acts, it's like he knew he was going to be royal before he was even born!" She turned to Roy and Zelda. "If you two want to make a good impression, I'll tell you now that the Prince likes horses an awful lot."  
  
"He gets at least five horses every year," Cody added. "One for Christmas, his birthday, Easter, and boxing day. Then of course, he can get more than one on each occasion. I must've seen hundreds of his horses die. Pitiful, really."  
  
"Aye," said Sophie. "Fortunately for us servants, the Princess sterilized all her cats. I'd hate havin' to run after kittens all over the palace day after day."  
  
"Which reminds me," Zelda said, standing up. "I'd better change out of this dress and give it back to the Princess. It's been a very informative evening. But now, I bid you all good-night."  
  
"Wait," said Roy, also getting to his feet. "Let me escort you to your room."  
  
"No, that's really not necess--"  
  
"I insist."  
  
Sighing, Zelda walked out of the door. "If you must." She walked out of the kitchen, and tried to find the way back to her room. The Hyrule castle was so much larger than the one at Altea, and she was very confused. . .  
  
"Roy, do you remember how to--" Turning around, Zelda stopped talking. Roy was no where in sight. She saw Prince Marth standing behind her. "O-oh, your highness! I-I'm sorry, I didn't know you were there. . ."  
  
"It's quite all right," Marth said. He walked up and put an arm around Zelda's shoulder. "It seems to me that you have forgotten the way to your room. Please, allow me to escort you there."  
  
"Er. . .okay. . ." Zelda said uneasily. Marth had never given her this much attention before, let alone even acknowledge her presence. What was going on? Where had Roy skipped off to? "Wait, here's my room."  
  
"Oh, this is it already?" Marth asked, the sound of disappointment clearly in his voice.  
  
"Um, yes, your majesty," Zelda answered, opening the door. "I borrowed this dress from Princess Peach, and I must return it to her."  
  
"Ah," Prince Marth said. Before Zelda could close her door, the Prince took her hand. He pulled her closely towards him, then (to her great shock) kissed her. She quickly ran into her room and slammed the door shut.  
  
'I wondered what that would be like,' Marth thought to himself, walking slowly back down the corridor. He smiled devilishly.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* A/N:  
  
short i know, but i couldnt think of more to add!!  
  
Random Quote:  
  
"Tomorrow is another day!" --Scarlett O'Hara 


	6. Great Dreamers Dream Alike

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
*18 years ago*  
  
"MATT!" Dylan roared. "Give that back to her!"  
  
Matt was running wildly around the living room with a small, golden bell clutched in his hand. "Aw, if she wants it, she can get it herself!" he laughed.  
  
Zelda sat wailing in the middle of the room. She'd previously been ringing the bell joyvially, quite enjoying herself. Then, of course, Matt had to ruin the moment and steal it. The small girl was no match against her older brother when it came to running.  
  
"Just give it to her!" Dylan shouted.  
  
"Make me!"  
  
"FINE, I WILL!"  
  
Kathryn was sitting on a couch, reading a thick book and wearing ear plugs. She was used to Dylan picking on Matt and Matt picking on Zelda. It was part of their daily routine to bicker with eachother.  
  
"Kat, give me a hand!" Dylan giggled, chasing Matt around the room.  
  
Calmly, Kathryn stuck her leg out, causing Matt to trip. He fell to the ground, and the bell tumbled out of his hand, right in front of Zelda. She scooped it up and held it close to her protectively.  
  
"Honestly!" Kathryn huffed. "You three should all be quieter! You know mother asked us to be quiet; she's in labor!"  
  
"It's labor day?" Matt asked with confusion.  
  
"No, stupid," Dylan answered flatly. "It means she's in agony-- Darryl's supposed to be born soon."  
  
"Zelda, stop ringing that bell!" Quentin snapped, coming in from his room. "The sound is driving me crazy!"  
  
*Present*  
  
In the middle of the night, Zelda woke up abruptly. She didn't know what had roused her from her sleep, and she sat in bed thinking for a moment. Then Zelda heard someone knocking on her door. Confused, she pulled on a robe and went to answer it.  
  
A red-headed girl of about 12 years old stood before her. "Hello, Zelda! Oh, Goddesses, I've missed you so much! Oops! You be a good girl and don't tell mother on me, Zellie!"  
  
Zelda stood there in shock. The child was ten years younger than her, and much shorter; and yet she was acting like an older sister. She'd suggested that the two had the same mother. . .  
  
"Dylan?" Zelda whispered.  
  
"Of course!" Dylan answered, seeming offended. "Geez, you'd think you'd recognize your own sister!"  
  
Trembling, Zelda reached down. She rested a hand on Dylan's shoulder-- or at least she tried to. Her skin went right through her sister's.  
  
"Sorry," Dylan said. "You can't touch me. But buy a pickle."  
  
"What're you talking about?" Zelda asked wearily. Then her sister started to slowly fade away. "DYLAN! Wait, where are you going?!"  
  
Dylan was almost instantly replaced by a blonde teenager, wearing a blue dress and a small tag that read, "Hi, I'm Kat."  
  
"Kathryn?" Zelda questioned, now quite confused.  
  
The girl nodded solemnly. "We've had trouble talking to you two, Zelda. He needs to know. TELL HIM."  
  
"Wait, don't leave!" Zelda cried, as Kathryn's image started to flicker. She fell to the floor on her knees. "I need so much to be explained!"  
  
Before she ebbed away completely, Kathryn stooped down to her sister's level. She gently traced Zelda's cheek with her hand, crying softly. Zelda tried to touch her hand, but she couldn't touch her sister (for some strange reason). "You aren't the little girl I used to know, Zel. You aren't my little sister. You've grown up. You don't need us to explain anything anymore. . ."  
  
"No, I do!" Zelda insisted. "Don't leave me, please!"  
  
"Oh yes, I almost forgot," Kathryn said, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a small golden bell. "Here, take this." Kat placed the bell into the deep pocket of Zelda's dress. "Good-bye."  
  
Kathryn dissolved into the night air. But then, a taller figure took her place. She seemed to give off some sort of a dim light as she walked closer to Zelda.  
  
"Get to your feet," the woman said in a soft but firm voice.  
  
Slowly standing, Zelda stared at the woman in front of her. "Holy Nayru. . ."  
  
The mysterious figure sighed with annoyance. "Dear child, have I taught you nothing? Dylan must've seen you already. . .don't use the Goddesses' names in vain!" Her expression softened a bit. "But how can I tell you what to do now, Zelda? You've blossomed into such a lovely young woman. . ." Tears were visible. "You aren't my little girl anymore."  
  
"Mother. . ." Zelda whispered, trying her best not to fall to the floor again in tears. "I-I'm still your daughter, please tell me what to do!"  
  
Impa laughed heartily. "You're such a wonderful child, Zelda. Oh my dear, it's been so long since I've been able to say that name. . .I thought that he'd been killed, but he's right here around you. You must tell him."  
  
"Tell him what?" Zelda asked. "Who is 'him'?"  
  
"Why don't you let them both know?" Impa asked, cocking her head to one side in a motherly fashion.  
  
"I am so confused, mother," Zelda said softly. She tried to embrace Impa, but her hands went right through the spirit. "I don't know what to do!"  
  
"Life is full of tough choices," Impa agreed. "But I suggest that you get your sleep tonight, my dear. Oh, how I've missed you."  
  
To Zelda's amazement, her mother reached out and held her in a tight embrace. How was she doing this--she hadn't been able to touch her before! Both started crying, but also tried to (unsuccessfully) hide their tears from each other. Impa kissed Zelda's forehead softly.  
  
"Don't leave me, mother!" Zelda pleaded. "I can't do this alone; I don't have anyone to tell me what I'm supposed to even be doing!"  
  
"Look inside yourself," Impa laughed. "You'll find the answere there." She began to fade away. "Good-night, Zelda."  
  
Suddenly, Zelda sat straight in her bed, full of pure shock. Sweat poured down her forehead. A dream, it had all been a dream. . .but it didn't make sense. . .why had they come? Who had they all been talking about? Zelda's mind zoomed with questions about her baffling dream. . .that dream. . .  
  
Trying to go back to sleep, Zelda turned over. She felt a lump on her side, as if she was lying on something. Confused and annoyed, Zelda reached into her pocket. She pulled out a small object. . .a minute golden bell. She gasped. Was this not the object that her sister had just handed her in her dream? Before she knew it, Zelda had fainted from shock and surprise.  
  
She started to dream again. Would this constant dreaming ever stop? This time, Zelda was in a high tower, looking out at a vast, green field. All alone. The sun was setting in front of her--a beautiful sight, and yet she seemed to be somewhat depressed a bit.  
  
Then she heard it. The sound of hooves beating upon grass. She looked into the distance, and saw a man in a green tunic riding a large brown horse. Excited, Zelda flew down the stairs to meet the rider. She reached the door, opened it, and ran into the substantially sized field.  
  
"Well, I'm back," said the man, dismounting his horse. She galloped away. Then the rider turned to face Zelda. It was Link.  
  
"I've been waiting for you," Zelda whispered, running towards him and embracing him tightly. "You've been gone so long!"  
  
"It's only been two days," he sighed hastily, grinning and hugging her back.  
  
"Two minutes is a long time to be away from you," she said in a soft voice. Zelda laughed to herself at the corny romantic line.  
  
"Well, all that matters is that I'm back," Link said. He pulled away from Zelda, still clasping onto her hands. "Here, let me make up for it." Smiling, the Prince put one hand on Zelda's waist, and lifted the other up.  
  
The couple started to waltz in the field. As Link twirled her in and out, Zelda could only wish that the moments could last for an eternity. He drew her in once more, but this time, she clung to his shoulders. Without any comprehension of what she was doing, Zelda quickly leaned forward and kissed him.  
  
Link pulled away first, but to Zelda's surprise, he was smiling brightly. "Was there something you wanted to tell me?" he asked out of the blue.  
  
"Yes," Zelda answered, suddenly remembering. "There was something I wanted to tell you about Darryl."  
  
But before Link had a chance to ask about Darryl, Zelda woke up. She was still clasping tightly onto her golden bell. She stared at it, then thought about her dream. She had just kissed the Prince of Hyrule!!  
  
"Oh, it's going to be a looooooong night," Zelda groaned.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Link wasn't having such a great night either. His mind was also clouded with mysterious, strange dreams.  
  
He was on a small island, mist circling overhead. On one side, the water was shallow and clear. On the other, it was dark, and looked rather deep. Then he noticed two women, one on each side of the island.  
  
Malon was in the shallow water, wearing a slim bathing suit, laughing and beckoning Link to join her. Then there was an unusually gorgeous blonde woman on the other, darker, side. . .who was she? Link knew he'd seen her before--oh yes! That was Zelda, Malon's servant.  
  
"Help!" Zelda shouted to him. "Somebody help, please!"  
  
"Link, come on!" Malon laughed. "Come over here with me!"  
  
"Please, help!" Zelda cried. She suddenly seemed to be getting sucked into the dark water around her. "Please!"  
  
"Oh, don't listen to her," Malon snapped. "She's only faking it--she just wants to be rescued by a prince! Besides, if she is drowning, someone will save her! We're not the only people on this island, you know. C'mon!"  
  
Link turned to face Malon, waiting to hear if Zelda's screams would persist. He heard nothing. Feeling relieved, Link leapt into the shallow, clear water by Malon. But as soon as he came to the surface, he saw red liquid spurting from his hands.  
  
"It's blood!" Malon shrieked, getting out of the water in a hurry. "Link, what'd you do!? What happened to you!?"  
  
As his eyes widened, Link watched the water around him turn slowly into dark, crimson-colored blood. 'It's more of a question of what DIDN'T I do!' Link thought to himself worriedly.  
  
Then suddenly, he woke up. Link lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, afraid to go back to sleep. He didn't know what it meant, any of it. Would he ever face such a situation in life? But before the Prince knew it, he had drifted back off to sleep.  
  
And there he was, back on that tiny island--in the same predicament. Malon was joyfully calling out to him on one side, Zelda crying out for help on the other. Link took a half-step towards Malon, then thought again.  
  
The last time he'd been here, he'd gone to Malon and the water surrounding him turned into blood. What would happen if he. . .  
  
Link turned and ran towards Zelda. The water began sucking her down once more, and she called out to him for help.  
  
"Hold on, I've got you!" Link shouted. On his stomach, he slid on the sand towards the servant. He reached out his hands, and she grasped them firmly. The water's power on Zelda, however, seemed to be growing stronger.  
  
"Help!" Zelda cried. "Please, help!"  
  
"I've got you!" Link yelled, looking her in the eyes. "I won't let go! Just pull--help me pull you back up."  
  
Between the two of them, Link and Zelda managed to muster enough strength to pull her back onto the island. They crawled as far away from the shoreline as possible, then collapsed onto the sand.  
  
"Are you all right?" Link asked.  
  
"I--I think so," Zelda answered, heaving deep breaths to steady herself. She coughed, and small bits of seaweed came out of her mouth. "I'll be okay." Zelda turned to face Link. "Thanks so much for. . .saving me."  
  
Turning a bit red, Link turned away. "Well, I couldn't help it. There's no one else here that could've saved you. If I'd let you alone, you would've been sucked up by the water again."  
  
"Again?" Zelda asked, a bit confused.  
  
"No, not again," Link said quickly. "I. . .don't know why I said that. Sorry. So, I recognized you, Zelda. You're Malon's servant, aren't you? I know I've seen you somewhere before."  
  
"Yep, you got me," Zelda sighed. "Some may consider it lucky to be so close to a Princess, but--and no offense to you, your highness--she can sometimes just be a. . .well, a. . .a royal pain, basically. Just please don't tell her I said that--I'd never see the light of day again!"  
  
"Don't worry," Link laughed. "Your secret is safe with me. So, why did you come over here anyway?"  
  
Zelda shrugged. "Malon came. When you come right down to it, I go where ever her majesty goes. Don't you have your own personal servant, or manservant like Prince Marth does?"  
  
"Nope," Link answered. "I don't believe in all that stuff. If you ask me, Marth can act a little arrogant and self-centered sometimes. I've seen the ways he treats some of the people that work for him." He sighed. "I'm content with out having someone cater to my every whim."  
  
"You're very kind, highness," Zelda said. "I'd be proud to live in your country and be Hylian."  
  
"Please, call me Link," the Hylian prince requested. "It's really quite uneccessary for you to use titles."  
  
Smiling, Zelda moved closer to him. "I consider it an honor, Link. I'm very flattered that you let me call you by your actual name."  
  
Laughing, Link turned over so that he was on his side facing Zelda. "If you ask me, titles are a little. . .well, other than uneccessary, they're just stupid. They label everyone, so they get judged before somebody gets to know them."  
  
"Do you feel like you know me?" Zelda asked innocently.  
  
"THERE YOU ARE!!" Malon shrieked, coming out of no where and completely shattering the romantic atmosphere. "Linky-poo, I've been searching this whole stupid island for you! And here I find you, flirting with my servant girl! You've cheated me for the last time! I can't believe you stood me up JUST to rescue my maid! You're so hurtful, Link! GOOD-BYE!" And with that, the haughty princess stormed once again out of view.  
  
Blushing, Zelda stood up. "Well, your highness--"  
  
"Link."  
  
"Link, I guess I should just thank you. But I'd better go find Malon before she finds something to chop off my head with. And do Peach a favor by buying a pickle, will you? Bye."  
  
Slightly confused, Link stared at Zelda as she walked away.  
  
And then, Link woke up once more. This was all very strange. He'd never had the same type of dream in the same night. Sighing, Link turned over in his bed and tried to get some sleep. It didn't come easily.  
  
Sighing, Link rolled back over onto his back. "This is going to be a looooooong night," he groaned to himself.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Well? Did it work?"  
  
"She has it, mother. I told her."  
  
"Me too!"  
  
"Good, I hope that succeeded."  
  
"She found it, Impa."  
  
Impa, Kathryn and Dylan, all dressed in white robes, stepped towards Nayru, the Goddess who had just approached them.  
  
"What's she doing?" Impa asked.  
  
"I think she fainted," Nayru answered. "We're just lucky Farore was able to get you three into her dream. I'm just afraid we may have given your daughter a bit of a fright, Impa dear."  
  
"She'll be fine," said Quint, walking up. "Zelda was never afraid of anything. I just wish there had been enough power to let me see her." He turned to his sisters. "What'd she look like?"  
  
"Good enough to make me jealous!" Dylan laughed. "I can't believe how much our sister has grown! It's amazing!"  
  
"Yes, well she's barely cut out for servant work," Kathryn sniffed. "I can't believe that Queen Rose's own daughter would turn on our family and make her into a servant! It's simply terrible!"  
  
"Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about that," Nayru sighed. "I've been watching over this girl for some time, Impa. She's strong, independant, and I can easily tell that she's very sure of herself. Perhaps some day, we may be able to give your Zelda a. . .chance. The one she deserves."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
A/N:  
  
well, what'd u think? good? bad? poopy? fantastic? tell moi in toi's reviews!! 


	7. The Willow Tree

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The next morning, Zelda lazily got out of her bed. She knew that she'd woken up later than usual, but that was about the same time everyone else would be getting up too. Sighing, she tried to close her open window, feeling that it was getting a little too cold. It refused to shut. Grunting with annoyance, she decided to forget the window and deal with it later.  
  
Humming quietly to herself, Zelda got out a comb and brushed her hair. Her eyes slowly shifted towards the small bell on her nightstand. She shivered, remembering the dreams she'd had last night.  
  
Putting on a dress that was made up of burgundy and grey colors, Zelda walked to her bed. After she made it, she picked up the small bell Kathryn had given her last night. She wondered if it had really been a dream. . .but then, what else could it have been?  
  
Someone could've played a practical joke on her. They might've snuck into her room and put the bell into her dress. . .no, that wasn't possible. For one thing, the door was locked, and for another thing, Zelda was a very light sleeper. She just couldn't grasp the concept that she had an object from her dream now--when she was wide awake.  
  
"I'd better hurry," Zelda whispered to herself. "I'll miss breakfast." She opened her door, and in doing so, bumped into Link. She managed to hold onto her balance, as did he. For a few moments, they stared dumbly at each other.  
  
"I-I'm sorry, your higness!" Zelda squealed, not able to meet his eyes. "I--I didn't know you were there!"  
  
"Don't apologize," Link said. "How were you to know that I was passing by your door at the same time you were coming out of it?" Of course, Link too remembered his dream. He suddenly felt very awkward.  
  
"Um. . .your highness, I was just wondering if. . .well actually, sir, it's the window in my room. I can't get it to close, and it's freezing. So I was wondering if, your majesty, you could possibly give me a hand."  
  
"Of course, I'd be perfectly willing," Link obliged. "On one condition."  
  
"Yes, your higness?"  
  
Link smiled, as they walked back into Zelda's room. "Just call me Link." The Prince tried to remember what he had told her in his dream. "When people use titles, it's like they. . .you know, it's like they judge you before they get to know you, just like they know who you are because of your station."  
  
"All right," Zelda said, grinning. It could be a little difficult to adjust to, but she'd give it a shot. She'd been in Hyrule for three days, and already Link was beginning to warm up to her. . .or so she hoped.  
  
"Oh yes, this one," Link sighed, stepping onto the window sill. "It's given us trouble for years!" He pulled on it. "You've just got to know how to handle this one; it seems to like being op--WHY WON'T THIS BLASTED WINDOW CLOSE?!?! It's never been such a difficulty before!"  
  
"Wait a minute, I think I know what we've been doing wrong," said Zelda. She had just noticed a small lever near the top of the window. "If you can reach it, pull down on that lever and see if it works."  
  
"All right, I might as well give it a try." Link reached up and pulled down the lever as hard as he could. Just as Zelda had guessed, the window swung shut almost immediately, forcing as much wind into the room as possible before it was closed.  
  
"Well," commented Link. "That worked."  
  
"Thank you for your help, majesty," Zelda said gratefully, even though she'd been the one to tell him what to do.  
  
"Link."  
  
"Right, sorry. . ."  
  
"Don't worry about it," Link said. He opened the door for her, then followed her into the hallway. "If we don't hurry, we'll be late for breakfast--c'mon!"  
  
"Link, I've been looking all over for you!" came Malon's voice from behind them. Link turned around with dread. "Now hurry up darling, before we are officially late for breakfast! ZELDA! What're you doing in the Prince's presence?! Go down to the kitchen at once!"  
  
"Yes, milady," Zelda said, curtseying. "I'm sorry to have stalled you, your highness," she added, addressing Link. Blushing, she quickly dashed off to the stairway that led to the kitchen.  
  
"That was a little harsh, don't you think?" Link asked Malon, frowning slightly. "She wasn't bothering me."  
  
"Don't be silly," Malon laughed, steering him into the dining room. "Zelda has always been a bother to everyone."  
  
'Not to me,' Link thought easily, staring at Malon with great dislike. She, of course, didn't notice. Malon's hate for her only made Link admire Zelda more.  
  
"There you are, Zelda," said Scarlett, as the servant sat down at the table, heaving deep breaths. "We were about to think that you weren't going to show up!"  
  
"Sorry, I was having some trouble shutting my window," Zelda wheezed, trying to catch her breath.  
  
"Aye," Sophie said. "You're stayin' in that room with the nutty window, aren't ye?" Zelda nodded. "'At's what I thought. There ain't no one who comes to this castle and stays in that room without inquirin' about that screwy window."  
  
"I can't blame them," Zelda sighed.  
  
"There's something else, isn't there?" Cody asked, sitting down. "You seem a little tired, Zelda."  
  
"I barely got any sleep," she responded. "Dreams kept me awake all night."  
  
"What'd you dream about?" Roy asked.  
  
"I'd rather not say, if that's all right," Zelda replied, turning red again. Inside her pocket, she clutched the small golden bell.  
  
"Why not?" Sophie asked. "There weren't no certain Prince Charming in this dream, was there?"  
  
Zelda didn't want to lie. "Well, actually, Link was in one of my dreams. I was going to tell him something, but I can't remember what it was. I do remember, though, that there was a green field, and a sunset, and then he danced with me and--"  
  
She was interrupted by a loud sob from Sophie. Sighing, Scarlett handed her a handkerchief. "That's so romantic!" Sophie sniffed. "I wish the Prince was like that with me! I ain't never had no quixotic relationship with no one, not even in any of my dreams! I wish I had control of what I thought about at night. . .but NO! It's always nightmares 'bout Squeaks gettin' run over by a deranged driver who was on his way to buy some pickles and save the whales!!"  
  
No one spoke for a minute. "Right," Scarlett finally said, breaking the strange and uncomfortable silence. "Anyway, Zelda, I'd like to give you some advice. As Malon's servant, you've already told us that you know she's pretty serious about Prince Link. I'm warnin' you to stay away from him. You may be more familiar with her than I, but I know she'll stop at nothing to get him into her arms."  
  
"She set her cap for him years ago," Cody added. "There ain't nothin' that'll stop her from gettin' him to marry her."  
  
"It was just a dream!" Zelda said hastily, though wishing it hadn't been. She blushed again, throwing her arms into the air with frustration. "I can dream, can't I?"  
  
"Of course you can," Sophie answered. "Not like we can be in charge of what you think when you're asleep. We just don't want you to get your hopes up. Link may be the kindest of the two Princes, but us servants still don't have no chance with him."  
  
"I know," Zelda sighed, putting her elbows on the table and placing her head in her hands.  
  
Roy stared at the table darkly. Link's "irresistable" charm had worked once more. Zelda was slowly being drawn to him, and now Roy had absolutely no chance. 'It's not fair,' he thought to himself. 'I have known Zelda longer than he has, and yet she already likes him! Does she find me unattractive?'  
  
"Roy, is something wrong?" Zelda asked, noticing that he was baring his teeth menacingly at the table's wood. "You seem a little upset by something."  
  
"No, it's fine," Roy said quickly. "It was just this dream I had. I can't remember what happened, but I wish for the life of me that I could." That much was true. The only thing he could recall was that he loved the dream and that Zelda was in it.  
  
Zelda pushed away from the breakfast table. "I'm sorry, but I'd better be going. I'm not very hungry right now."  
  
"Okay," Scarlett said. "Bye, Zelda."  
  
The servant climbed up the stairs that would lead out of the kitchen. Straightening out her dress, she walked towards the royal gardens. Peach had made a point of telling Zelda that everyone and anyone was permitted to take a stroll through the garden at any time they wished.  
  
Closing her eyes, Zelda lay down on the grass near a tall willow tree. The breezes gently blew her hair across her face, making her wonder why she'd never felt such a sensation back in Altea. Then of course, she remembered she was barely outside there, unless she was doing Malon's dirty work.  
  
Before she knew it, Zelda had dozed off. The lack of sleep last night had made her extremely tired this morning, and she couldn't help it. A few minutes later, Roy walked up and saw her.  
  
Roy smiled as he knelt down beside her. Like Zelda, he never really got outside much. Marth and Malon seemed to have reserved the outdoors for royalty, and strongly believed that all servants should stay inside. Roy sighed, wishing he could stroke Zelda's hair out of her face--but of course, she was such a light sleeper that it would definately cause her to wake up. So instead, Roy satisfied himself by listening to her gentle breathing.  
  
"Roy, what're you doing here?! I've been looking all over the place for you!"  
  
Fearfully, Roy stood up and turned around. He saw Marth and Link, about a hundred yards away. The servant ran up to them. "Forgive me, milord, I was only admiring the beauty of. . .the garden."  
  
"Pray excuse us, Link," said Marth, grabbing Roy's shoulder roughly. "I've got some discipline to carry out." They stormed off, leaving Link to wonder what Roy's fate was to be.  
  
The Prince of Hyrule looked up. He saw a tall willow tree, and decided to rest in its shade. Link walked towards it, then jumped. "Zelda?"  
  
Zelda's eyes snapped open, and she sat up. A little embarassed, she quickly stood up and bowed. "Forgive me, your highness, I--I fell asleep while lying here under the shade of this tree."  
  
"No apologies are needed," Link said, sitting down on the grass, motioning for Zeld to do the same. "Come, please sit down again."  
  
"Thank you, your highness," Zelda whispered, sitting down again, blushing a deeper red.  
  
"Please, I've already asked you," Link laughed. "Just call me by my first name. . . unless of course, you've forgotten it already."  
  
"No, I'm sorry, LINK," Zelda chuckled. Slowly, she rested her back down onto the grass with a contented sigh. "Are your late autumns always as nice as this?" she asked, once again enjoying the breeze that tickled her face.  
  
"Y'know, sometimes," Link answered, shrugging, lying down as well. "Just as many as any one else does. . .you know, I feel somewhat tired myself out here. I didn't sleep very well last night."  
  
"Neither did I," said Zelda. "Dreams kept me up until early morning."  
  
"It's the same with me!" Link said. "And they were the. . .strangest dreams, I tell you. . .very queer."  
  
"Mine made almost no sense whatsoever," Zelda laughed.  
  
"For some time, I've been known as the dream interpreter here. Perhaps, if you wouldn't find me being TOO impertinent, you could tell me what you dreamt. . .?"  
  
"Oh no," Zelda said quickly, her face turning a red brick color. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't possibly!"  
  
"I could command you to, you know," Link said, grinning. "But I won't, because I'm simply the nicest guy around."  
  
"I admire your modesty, Link," Zelda laughed, making Link laugh as well. Zelda let out a small, satisfied hissing sigh.  
  
Link jumped. "You do that too?"  
  
"Do what, majesty? I mean, Link?"  
  
"My brother sighs exactly the way you do," Link responded, grinning. "I've never heard anyone else do that before."  
  
"You mean Darryl?" Zelda whispered.  
  
"Um. . .yes, he would be my only brother. You know Zelda, you remind me a bit of my cousin Margaret. You both have the same spirit and you approach things the same way. . .of course, I can think of a few minor differences. For instance, Margaret is only nine years old."  
  
"Yes, that's a bit younger than me," Zelda chuckled.  
  
"She likes to travel. Do you like traveling?"  
  
"If I could do it, I'm sure I would."  
  
"Oh yes, sorry. . ." For a minute, Link had forgotten he hadn't been talking to a princess. As a servant, Zelda probably didn't get around much. "Yes. Margaret's planning a trip to Nawiat soon. I'm to go as her servant; only of course if I understand I am to be treated very harshly."  
  
Zelda laughed. "It would be nice to meet her someday."  
  
"You can," Link said. "At Christmas, she and her family will be coming over for our annual ball! I'm sure she'd love to meet you!"  
  
"Like I said, I wish I could meet her as well. But unfortunately, my chances of being allowed to a ball are very slight. Her highness doesn't like me to follow her to most royal occasions."  
  
"Don't be ridiculous!" Link laughed. "I insist that you come along."  
  
"Is this a personal invitation?" Zelda asked, smiling warily.  
  
"I command that you come!" Link said, pretending to be angered.  
  
Laughing, Zelda sat up, and saluted the sovereigen. "Aye aye sir! You can count on me to be there." She stood. "But I'm afraid now that I must go."  
  
"Go?" Link asked, standing as well. "What is the reason?"  
  
Zelda's face, which had come so close to getting rid of all the blush, became very red again. "Malon will be expecting me in her bedroom shortly to help clean her teeth." She made a face, then started to walk away again.  
  
"Please, allow me to escort you there."  
  
"No, no, that's fine. I'll be able to find my way this time."  
  
Watching Zelda walk away, Link sighed and lay back down on the grass. Why had he wanted her to stay? Perhaps it was because he could actually have a normal conversation with her. . .you know, not one like he'd have with Malon where all he'd say would be "how are you," and "nice weather we're having," or "I don't like spinach puffs," and all that other nonsense. Then, feeling quite fatigued, Link's eyes slowly closed.  
  
A few minutes later, Zelda came running back to the willow tree she'd just been at. She realized that her bell had fallen out of her pocket, and that was the first place she tried to look for it. Zelda was surprised to find that it was there--she hadn't been expecting to actually locate the bell so quickly.  
  
Bending down to pick it up, Zelda noticed that Link was asleep. She melted completely. He looked adorable in this position, lying in the grass and barely making any noise at all. She bent down and tentatively stroked his cheek.  
  
The prince stirred, but slept on. Gathering up all the strength and courage she had, Zelda quickly kissed his forehead and then flew out of the garden.  
  
Of course, Link had been awake the whole time. He smiled. After noticing that Zelda had left something behind, he decided to see what she'd do. And now he knew.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
weird, i know. 


	8. You're skating on thin ice

For the record, this story is dedicated to: Me. . .brother. By the way, his name is Graham. (or, on fanfiction, pillar of fire 9)  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
December 1st had finally come, but snow hadn't. The winds were getting colder, but Zelda still found comfort in sitting outside. On this particular day, she sat underneath the willow tree next to Link. She grinned.  
  
"I think winter is my favorite season," she sighed.  
  
"Really? Mine too!" Link said. Zelda had already known that, but she didn't let on. "People think I'm crazy, but I don't know why."  
  
"I think winter is cruelly stereotyped," Zelda said. "You know how in all those stories winter is always the wicked subject, or the villian's name has something to do with winter or ice or something like that."  
  
"Yeah, you're right!" Link said. "I never thought of that before."  
  
"And another thing. There are almost no bugs in winter, you can skate, sled and play in the snow!"  
  
"Speaking of snow," Link said. "I wish it would now. Or at least sometime soon."  
  
"Do you get white Christmases often?"  
  
"Yes, pretty much all of the time. What about in Altea?"  
  
"Green a lot. There's the occasional snow, but it's normally very thin and wet." Zelda sighed. "But there's always a royal ball come Christmas time, and the servants work hours into the night making artificial snowflakes. . .and then I never even get to see how people react to my designs."  
  
"What, you don't go to the balls?"  
  
"Of course not, don't be silly!" Zelda said. "Didn't I already tell you? I am never invited to royal occasions of any sort. My friends and I sometimes sneak outdoors and watch the balls from outside the windows. Mostly it's just me and Roy, though."  
  
"Roy. . .that's Marth's manservant, right?"  
  
"Yes. Sometimes I feel like he's the only one in the world willing to be my friend. In Altea, anyway."  
  
Link felt a feeling of jealousy wash over him suddenly. Why was he so jealous of Roy? There was nothing to be jealous about. Not really. "Well don't forget you're still invited to our Christmas party."  
  
"That's really very kind of you, Link," Zelda said. "I just hope Malon will approve of it."  
  
"Sure she will. Believe me, Zel, if I tell her to do something she'll do it. Not to flaunt or anything, but I think quite taken with me." He sniffed loudly, and pretended to be an arrogant sort of aristocrat.  
  
Zelda forced a laugh, but she had this strange feeling. She suddenly felt extremely jealous of Malon. She'd envied her before, but that was because she was a princess and for other stupid matters. Why should she be jealous now?  
  
"Zel, are you all right?" Link asked, suddenly breaking her from her thoughts.  
  
"Oh! Yeah, I'm uh. . .yeah."  
  
"Well, I was just wondering about something," Link said. "Darryl and I are going skating in a little while. He's bringing Scarlett because he knows she loves to skate, and I was wondering if you'd like to come."  
  
"Sure!" Zelda blurted. She blushed and straightened. "Thank you, Link. I gladly accept your invitation. . .I sound really stupid, don't I?"  
  
"I wouldn't go that far," Link laughed, standing up. "But I'm glad you want to come. I'll get you when we're ready to leave, all right?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Good-bye." Link took Zelda's hand in his and kissed it lightly. He smiled, then walked back to the castle.  
  
Zelda stood there in shock, her arm still outstretched. 'He just kissed my hand,' she thought to herself, still standing dumbly still. 'OH MY GODDESSES, HE JUST KISSED MY HAND!!' Then the servant twirled around, and cried out loud: "OH, I'LL NEVER WASH THIS HAND AGAIN!!"  
  
At that precise moment, a bucket of water came flying out of no where, and the liquid poured all over Zelda's body. "NO!! Where did that water come from!?" But in her mind, she thought, 'Classic. Why is it always me?'  
  
"Me, sorry," came Cody's gruff voice. "I just came from the stream, and I tripped. Sorry I got you wet, Zel."  
  
Trying to hold in her anger and annoyance, Zelda slowly headed back towards the castle. "It's all right, Cody. . .I'll just go dry up a bit." She shivered as she walked inside the castle and walked towards her room.  
  
"Zelda!"  
  
"P-Peach?" she asked, turning around. It seemed that ever since Link had left, the whole atmosphere became freezing.  
  
"My dear girl," Peach said, walking up to her. "You must be frozen to the bone! Where on earth did all that water. . .how did you get so wet?!"  
  
"It was C-Cody," Zelda answered. "He accidentally tripped and spilled some water on m-me."  
  
"Did he now?" Peach asked, steering Zelda up the stairs. "Well, we'll have to get you dried off. I hate to tell you this dearie, but Cody's always been a bit of a clumsy klutz. He says it runs in the family."  
  
"Oh," Zelda whispered, shivering harder. "This really isn't necessary though, Peach. I c-can dry off myself."  
  
"I know," Peach said. "But there's something in my room that I insist you see anyway. Then you can dry off in my bathroom. Okay?"  
  
Zelda nodded.  
  
"Actually, why don't you dry off first?" Peach asked. "Then I'll show you what it is I wanted you to see, okay?"  
  
"Yeah, thanks," Zelda said. "Th-thanks a lot."  
  
"Oh, don't thank me," Peach said, shoving Zelda into the bathroom and shutting the door. "Link told me that he invited you to go ice skating later on, and you can't go there looking like Frosty's sister. It's cold enough out there without being drenched with stream water."  
  
A few minutes later, Zelda walked out of Peach's bathroom, completely dry. "Thank you, Peach. . ."  
  
"Like I said, there's no need to thank me," Peach beamed, walking over to her closet. "But there's something I'd like to show you before you leave." She opened the closet door, and a small grey kitten sped out of it. "This is Ginseng, my newest cat."  
  
Ginseng ran towards Zelda and started rubbing his head against her ankles. Grinning, Zelda slowly reached down and stroked the kitten's back. "He seems very friendly with people."  
  
"I'm glad you think so," Peach said. "Because I want you to have him."  
  
Zelda looked up at the princess in shock. "But Peach! He's your cat! I can't just take him away from you! That would be unthinkable!"  
  
"I'm giving him to you," Peach said. "I insist that you take him! I've already got more cats than I can handle (barely) and I know that you'd be able to take good care of him, Zelda!"  
  
"Peach, I. . .I don't know what to say!"  
  
"Oh, who cares about words? Just consider the dear as an early Christmas present. Now you'd best be hurrying off to get dressed for skating. I think that they're leaving sometime soon."  
  
"Thank you, Peach!" Zelda squealed, cursteying.  
  
"I was only too happy to do it!" Peach laughed, watching Zelda walk out of the room. She sighed. "Why was I cursed with two brothers and no sisters? WHY?!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
An hour later, the group (consisting of Link, Zelda, Darryl, Scarlett, Roy and a somewhat reluctant Malon) were all at the skating pond.  
  
"Ain't it a lovely little private pond?" Scarlett asked, lacing up her skates. "We comes here every winter, we does. Skatin's my favorite sport!"  
  
"So I've been told," said Zelda, smiling. She inched towards the pond, and tried to get up off the ground. "It's just standing up that's the problem with me."  
  
"Nonsense!" Scarlett cried joyvially. "Standing up is a breeze!"  
  
"Perhaps for someone like you," Zelda said, holding up her arm. "Give me a hand, will you?"  
  
"Sure," Scarlett grunted, helping Zelda to her feet. "There you are, Zel. You ever skated before?"  
  
"Well. . .kinda not really."  
  
"Kinda not really, eh? Why exactly did you come, may I ask?"  
  
"Link asked me to."  
  
"A-HA!!!" Scarlett shouted victoriously, almost causing Zelda to fall over and making several birds fly out of a nearby tree. "Soooooooooo. . .you're on first-name terms with him now, are you?"  
  
"Yeah," Zelda sniffed. "Is that such a huge problem?"  
  
"Problem? Don't speak such mad tosh! It's great! The last time his higness asked a servant to call him by name was when. . .when. . .well actually, he doesn't talk much with servants. He doesn't have any, you see. And we servants and such aren't 'sposed to stay around royals when they aren't our personal masters, see? Ain't right for us too."  
  
"Right," Zelda said, a little confused. "I remember vaguely a long time ago. . .my brother and sister tried to teach me how to skate. I did all right." She released Scarlett's arm, which she had been gripping tightly in order to keep her balance. Zelda wobbled a bit on the ice, then managed to keep steady. "I guess I still remember a bit of what they taught me to do."  
  
"Interesting," Scarlett said. "So, where are you brother and sister?"  
  
"They're dead," Zelda answered in a monotone. "Along with the rest of my family. They were murdered when I was barely four."  
  
"Oh. . .wow, Zelda, I'm real sorry. Are they really all gone?"  
  
"I think," Zelda muttered to herself. She glanced over at Darryl, who was helping Link stick some sort of sign in the ice.  
  
"What was that?" Scarlett asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Sorry, Zel. Really I am."  
  
"You know, skating's not really that hard once you get going," Zelda said, trying to change the subject.  
  
"I'm glad you've finally caught on," Scarlett laughed. She skated ahead, leaving Zelda to wander about on the ice by herself.  
  
Malon, wearing a ridiculously poofy red-and-pink winter coat (complete with poofy hat, mittons and earmuffs) was skating right alongside Link. He was wearing a rather disappointed look, but appeared to be trying to hide it.  
  
Scarlett noticed Zelda staring at the pair of royals with an evil glare, so she cleverly skated over and tried to curtsey. "Your majesty," she said, addressing Malon. "I was wondering if I could ask you a question."  
  
"Very well, what is it?"  
  
"Well. . .I would rather appreciate it if it could be a private inquiry."  
  
"Don't be ridiculous. Whatever you have to ask me, you can ask Link as well."  
  
"Oh no, that's all right," Link said quickly. "I should feel terrible if I were to intrude on this interrogation when I am not wanted."  
  
"But you are want--"  
  
"I shall return," Link said. Malon glared as he glided towards her servant girl. She found it most annoying.  
  
"So, how's it going?" Link asked Zelda.  
  
"Oh, all right I guess," she answered. "I haven't been skating for some time, that's for sure." She laughed, but it was an empty laugh.  
  
Link stared at her. He was almost sure he had seen those eyes before. They were unforgettable--but he knew he'd never seen Zelda before. "I hope you don't mind my asking," the prince said. "But do I, by any chance, know. . .well, have I ever met your mother, or sister or someone? I could swear that I've seen you before."  
  
"I'm afraid that would be quite impossible," Zelda sighed. "My family lived in secluded areas all their lives. It is extremely unlikely that you saw any of them before they died."  
  
"Oh. . ." Link said dumbly. "I'm very sorry."  
  
"No, no, it's all right," Zelda sighed. 'Why is everyone bringing up my family today?' she thought to herself. 'It's driving me crazy!'. She glanced over at Darryl. Laughing and throwing a clump of snow at Scarlett, he looked even more like the brother Zelda had lost so long ago.  
  
"So about how far away is this pond from your castle?" Zelda asked, breaking the long silence between her and the prince. "I wasn't really paying attention on the way up."  
  
"It's a ways away, I guess," Link said, shrugging. "In fact, we stay in that inn down the road quite often." He nodded towards a large and luxurious looking building. "Darryl and Scarlett never tire of skating, and we end up staying here well into the night."  
  
"That's very interesting."  
  
Malon, now skating along by herself, glared at Zelda and Link with annoyance. It was quite despicable, really. She had a feeling that she had been dumped. But the princess shrugged off the idea. Her own brother, Marth, always flirted like crazy with all the maids in the castle, but it never meant anything. Never. But it never hurt to be safe. . .  
  
She had an idea. Malon headed towards a small sign that read 'Beware: Thin ice!' The princess looked around to make sure no one was looking, then took out the sign and buried it in some nearby snow. Smiling to herself, Malon took off her scarf and threw it onto the thin layer of ice.  
  
Link and Zelda were coming closer. It was time. "Zelda!" Malon called out. Her servant stopped (as did Link) and looked at her expectantly. "My scarf's gone awry and blown all the way over there. Would you be a dear and get it for me, Zellie?"  
  
"All right," Zelda mumbled, going over onto the dilute ice, adding in a growl, "Your majesty."  
  
"I'd be more careful with your words, dear," Malon called after her, grinning. "You should watch out, or you may be skating on thin ice!"  
  
Of course, Zelda didn't take her seriously. Malon's expression, however, prompted Link to look around the pond for the sign he and Darryl had put up. It wasn't anywhere in sight. As he turned around, he heard a loud scream come from behind him.  
  
As Malon had expected, the thin ice underneath Zelda's skates cracked almost immediately. Seconds later, she fell into the freezing water below.  
  
"Help!" she cried.  
  
"Someone's got to help her!" Scarlett shouted. "She doesn't know how to swim!"  
  
"Says who?" Malon asked in a calm sort of voice.  
  
"Says Zelda!" Scarlett said back. "You may have known her longer than me, but I know a lot more about Zelda that you do!"  
  
"Whatever, she can get out herself," Malon sniffed, tugging at Link's arm. "C'mon Link, let's get going."  
  
"Are you crazy?!" Link asked. "If she doesn't drown first, she'll freeze to death!" He ran onto the snow surrounding the pond and got flat down onto his stomach. Link reached out his hands. "C'mon Zel, just grab my hands!"  
  
In attempting to do so, the ice around Zelda started to break. She reached towards Link with bare hands (her gloves had slipped off in the water) and he held onto her. "I've got you," he grunted, pulling her up. "I won't let go--just push!"  
  
A few moments later, Link had managed to pull Zelda onto the bank of snow. Bits of ice clung to her all over her body, as she shivered non-stop.  
  
"Are you okay?" Link asked her.  
  
"W-well, I'm a. . .I'm a b-bit cold," she stammered.  
  
Link looked up. "C'mon, put your arm around my neck," he said, picking her up. "I'll take you into that inn over there."  
  
"Ok-kay." Zelda did as Link told her to, then her eyes slowly closed.  
  
"Just look at that," Malon said, not particularly speaking to anyone. "How does she do it? Zelda's just completely ruined our skating trip!"  
  
"MALON!" Scarlett shouted, forgetting her place. "You knew that the ice over there was thin, and you told her to go over there just because you're jealous! You vicious, jealous, conniving wench!"  
  
"Why, how dare you--!"  
  
But before Malon had a chance to reprimand her, Scarlett rushed over towards Link. That servant had some nerve. . .both of them. They'd pay.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Malon: (in bugs bunny voice) Ain't I a stinker?  
  
Zelda: Um, yeah? YOU TRIED TO KILL ME!!  
  
Malon: Yeah, but we're really best friends when we're not in stories like these.  
  
Zelda: It's the truth!  
  
Sawyerzelda: riiiiight...  
  
Link: Hey, are you named after a cat?  
  
Zelda: ARE YOU CALLING ME A CAT?!  
  
Link: no, i meant 'sawyer' in the author's name.  
  
Sawyerzelda: yeah, the sawyer part comes from a dancing cat!!! well my dear readers, keep on. . .reading! and reviewing! and eating chocolate! 


	9. Strange Dreams

OMG, im sry i havent updated in so long!! i went on a 2 week vacation in CA, and i couldnt write!!!! SORRY!!!!  
  
but guess what?!?! i walked on the same concrete as meryl streep, norma shearer, clark gable, bette davis, greer garson, joan crawford, margaret o'brien, laurence olivier, shirley temple and roy rogers!!!! arent u happy 4 me?!?.............you're not happy for me. o well.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Malon sat alone in room at the inn. She was very annoyed. But she had a right to be. Zelda was slowly drawing Link away from her.  
  
Before Darryl left, Malon had given him strict instructions to give Scarlett a good beating. And as soon as Zelda was feeling well enough to leave the doctor at the inn, she'd teach her a thing or two.  
  
A few minutes later, Link came into the room. He sat down on the bed. "The doctor said she'll be all right. At least she should be all right."  
  
"Erm. . .good."  
  
At that moment, a knock came to the door. Confused, Malon went to answer it. Peach was on the other side, and she entered the room.  
  
"Peach!" Link exclaimed, running over to her and hugging her. "What're you doing here?"  
  
"I came to check up on Zelda, and I brought her cat," Peach answered.  
  
"How thoughtful of you," Malon said through clenched teeth, though thinking, 'What a totally stupid thing to do.' "Who escorted you here, my brother in his carrige?"  
  
"No," Peach replied. "I came alone."  
  
"Alone?"  
  
"All alone."  
  
"And by what means did you travel?"  
  
"I walked."  
  
"You walked?" Malon smirked, glancing over at Link.  
  
"As always, sister, I regard you with the utmost respect," Link said, smiling. "Don't you think so, Malon?"  
  
"Well, yes," Malon responded to satisfy Link. "But to come all this way unchaperoned. . .and on foot."  
  
The doctor stuck his head out of his room. "Your highness?"  
  
Malon, Link and Peach turned towards him.  
  
"Erm. . .Prince Link, I think you'd better come in."  
  
A little anxious, Link walked towards the doctor and shut the door behind him. "What is it? Is she all right?"  
  
"Well, I believe she's all right medically speaking," he began. "But whenever she falls asleep, she-"  
  
The doctor was interrupted by a loud scream coming from behind a closed door. It was followed by several others.  
  
"Is that Zelda?!" Link asked.  
  
"Yes," the good doc answered (woah, where did that "good doc" thing come from?). "You see, every time she falls asleep, she starts having horrible nightmares. She's afraid to tell them to me, but I believe that they're memories of her past." He rose his voice over Zelda's screaming. "Your father tells me that you're a dream interpreter in your home, so I thought maybe you could-"  
  
"Yes, of course!" Link answered. He opened the door to Zelda's room and closed it loudly behind him. "Zel, wake up! Wake up!" He took her shoulders and shook her gently in an effort to bring her out of her sleep.  
  
Zelda suddenly sat bolt upright in bed, sweat pouring down her forehead. Her breaths were loud, large and sharp. She noticed Link, and started to calm down.  
  
"W-what happened?" she asked, giving Link a blank stare.  
  
"You were screaming."  
  
"Why was I screaming?!"  
  
"I don't know," he answered. "I think you were having a nightmare or something. You seem really upset. . ."  
  
"I wasn't asleep though!" Zelda insisted. "And I wasn't screaming! Who are you, and what're you doing in my room?! Get out!"  
  
"Zel, what're you talking about?" Link asked, getting a little worried. "It's me!"  
  
As though a bright light had flashed into her eyes, Zelda's pupils suddenly shrank. She dove underneath the covers out of Link's sight. "Your highness, please forgive me," she said. "But every time I wake up from these dreams, it's like. . .I'm not sure, but it's like I'm still dreaming and yet I'm awake. . .sometimes I can't even breathe. Pray forgive me, your majesty. . .Link."  
  
Timidly, poked the top of her head out from underneath the bedcovers. Then she sat up, red-eyed and red-faced.  
  
"About these dreams," Link said, a little shaken but speaking firmly. "The doctor tells me that every time you have them, you start screaming. He says you never confide anything in them, but. . ." Gently, he took Zelda's hand in his. "You know you can trust me, Zel. I want only to help you."  
  
Zelda stared at him for a long time. She blinked, and a tear escaped from each eye. She dropped Link's hand and looked away. "I-I'm sorry," she whispered. "But I-I would not be permitted to. . .it's not my place to. . ."  
  
"Zel, what do you mean?"  
  
"It's very difficult to explain," Zelda went on, choking back her tears. "It's not that it's anything too private, but if I were to tell you the events in my dream, I'm sure that Malon would accuse me of a felony towards the Altean crown." Her eyes suddenly widened, and she sank down in her bed once more.  
  
"Malon isn't here," Link whispered. "It would help to confide in someone. Won't you please just tell me?"  
  
"Don't ask me questions!" Zelda said in a sharp whisper. She was starting to feel that Link was getting nosy. "I haven't much energy at this time," she continued, suddenly realizing how severely she could've been punished for using such a tone when speaking to a Prince. "And I would ask that you please leave me for now."  
  
Feeling slightly hurt, Link sadly stood up. "If. . .that is what you would wish of me for now."  
  
"It is," Zelda mouthed, the power to speak no longer within her. She heard Link close the door behind him, and subsequently, tears flowed silently out of her eyes.  
  
"What was all that screaming about?" Peach asked when her brother entered the room. "Goodness, it was horrific! It wasn't Zelda, was it?"  
  
"Who else?" Malon asked in an annoyed monotone. Link and Peach glared at her, but didn't say anything to her.  
  
"I'm afraid that it was," Link answered Peach's question. "She's been having the most terrible dreams lately. She's feeling very weak, and no longer contains enough energy to talk. Is the doctor still here?"  
  
"No, he left not long ago," Peach responded, trying to calm down the squirming kitten in her arms. "He advised us to leave soon, though. But I don't know why. After all, we just came here to--oh, stop it, Ginseng! Just calm d--"  
  
At that moment, Ginseng flew out of Peach's arm and bolted towards Zelda's bedroom door. He screeched to a halt in front of it, and put up a paw to the door in confusion. Ginseng rose both paws to the door and looked up. He meowed softly.  
  
"That's odd," Peach said, walking slowly towards the kitten. "I've never seen a cat do that before. Hmmm. . .you two had best begin to get ready to leave."  
  
"What about you?" Link asked.  
  
"I'll be along in a moment," Peach answered, waving for them to go on.  
  
"Well, we'd best do as your sister says," Malon said tartly, linking her arm with Link's and steering him out of the inn.  
  
Peach tried to lift Ginseng off the ground, but he was tightly gripping the floor with his claws. "What kind of cat ARE you?" Peach asked in annoyance. "You're acting just like a dog!" Sighing, Peach opened Zelda's door.  
  
Ginseng sprang into the room. Zelda, who was still awake, turned over in her bed and saw the cat. He leapt up at her, and she smiled and cuddled him in her arms. Then she looked over at Peach, who was grinning and walking towards her.  
  
"I was going to wait until you were feeling a tad better to bring him over," the princess said. "But he point-blank refused to come along. He ran right towards your door and refused to budge until I opened it for him."  
  
"Did he really?" Zelda asked, smiling at the cat who was marching around in circles in her lap. "I wish Ginseng had a sleeping pill on him. . .I'm afraid to go to sleep because of my dreams, but I also feel dead tired."  
  
"Sleeping pills won't do you a bit of good," Peach laughed. "I've a much better way of helping you go to sleep."  
  
"Do you?" Zelda asked, sounding as if she didn't quite believe her."  
  
"Sure." Peach cleared her throat. "In the first annual Convention of Kooky Cobblers, Bob Thruston announced his new line of brown slippers. This new invention helped revolutionize the way dukes' brides went to sleep. Quite expensive, and they are now limited objects. They stopped running the item way back in. . ."  
  
Zelda was already asleep. "That never fails," Peach said grinning, standing up and walking away from the room. Her super-sonic ears picked up the sound of gentle breathing. A hissing sigh sort of sound.  
  
'I didn't know Darryl was here,' Peach thought to herself. She walked into the inn's lobby, expecting to see her brother. But the sound was gone. The princess was slightly confused. Had she not just heard the sound her brother always made when he slept?  
  
Baffled, Peach stumbled back towards Zelda's room, where she'd first heard the sound. She heard the breathing again, and she stepped closer towards Zelda.  
  
'Good Goddesses!' Peach thought to herself. 'How utterly odd!! Never before have I heard that sound come from another person before! Of course, I've never been around many sleeping people before. . .' She gasped at her own innuendo.  
  
Then, suddenly remembering that Link and Malon might still be waiting for her, Peach dashed out of the room.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
kinda short, i know, but my parents are kicking me out. ): Well? suitable enough? 


	10. Empty kiss

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The next day, the doctor (kindly) escorted Zelda back to the Hylian castle. She walked around to the southern side and used a door that led into the kitchen. Ginseng jumped out of her arms and hurried into the kitchen and into one of the cupboards, darting past the other occupants of the room.  
  
"There's the invalid!" Sophie laughed.  
  
"I'm okay now," Zelda smirked. "It feels like I've been gone for so long, though."  
  
"Well, it's only been a couple days," Cody remarked. "We were told about your condition through the maid Mandy--"  
  
"--who heard it from the stable boy, Skrat--"  
  
"--who heard it from Nathan, the pig boy--"  
  
"--who eavesdropped on Prince Link's conversation with his parents."  
  
Zelda stared at them. Cody and Sophie, switching off sentences, had pretty much explained things, but she was still a little confused. "Where's Scarlett?"  
  
Sophie frowned and Cody looked away. Then the meak female cook spoke up. "Well. . .you see, the way we heard it was that Princess Malon ordered a harsh whippin' on her, she did. Er. . .we think that she's a tad angry at her for siding with you on something back at the pond."  
  
"Yeah," Cody added. "We heard that Scarlett called her a conniving wench."  
  
"Well, that would automatically make her unfavorable," Zelda commented. "But where is she now?"  
  
"Erm. . .her highness doesn't know it," Sophie said, "but Scarlett's asleep. We knew she couldn't work in her condition, so we sent her off to bed."  
  
"Well, you needn't be afraid of the princess finding out about it," Zelda said. "She'd die before walking into a kitchen of. . .well, y'know, servants. She'll never know that Scarlett wasn't here."  
  
"ZELDA!!" came a shrilly voice. "IF YOU'RE IN THAT KITCHEN, COME UP HERE NOW!!"  
  
"You hear that?" Zelda asked on her way to the door. "She can't even come down that flight of stairs to reprimand me."  
  
Hastily, Zelda climbed the steps and was greeted with Malon's grim expression. "Yes, your majesty?" she said, bowing slightly.  
  
Malon pursed her lips, then grabbed Zelda's shoulder roughly, tightly gripping a bucket in the other hand. "Come with me."  
  
'Like I have a choice,' her servant thought bitterly.  
  
Apparently, the princess was in a very bad mood. Very... Bad. Finally, they come to a stop by the lake a hundred yards or more away from the castle. She let go of Zelda, and told her to "Stand up against that rock. Don't face me, turn around."  
  
Nervously turning, Zelda started to get worried. Malon was definitely up to something bad. She heard the sound of something being lashed across the ground.  
  
"Stay facing the stone, Zelda," Malon ordered, upon noticing that her servant was about to turn around. "By the way. . .they say it helps if you shut your eyes. Of course, I've never experienced it before, so you must try it out and tell me if it really does work."  
  
"What're you--"  
  
Zelda suddenly felt a jolt of pain in her back. Then it came again. And again. It was then that she realized that for the first time in her enslaved life, Malon was whipping her.  
  
Blind with rage, Malon struck her servant with the whip again. "They tell me I'm awfully good with a whip. I should like to know your opinion once I've finished. . .Curse the Goddesses, why aren't you screaming?"  
  
Never before had Zelda been forced to endure such pain. And never before had she longed so hard to scream. But she'd die before letting Malon have that satisfaction. Tears tinged her cheeks, but no sound came out.  
  
"You're determined, aren't you?" Malon grunted, stopping for a moment.  
  
"Almost as much as you," Zelda said in a whisper that Malon could barely hear.  
  
"Well, you know why I'm doing this to you, don't you?" Malon asked, starting to thrash at her again.  
  
Zelda didn't answer. Now every time she was hit, she moaned softly. A small acknowledgement of pain that Malon could not hear.  
  
"Don't you?!" Malon repeated, thrashing her harder.  
  
Zelda, whose dress had been torn in the back (it was barely hanging on by the straps on her shoulders), finally collapsed to the ground in what appeared to be a dead faint. She was still concious, but wished vainly that she wasn't.  
  
Malon flogged her once more, then, breathing heavily, dropped the whip with a tired hand. Zelda could tell that her back was going numb. She thought Malon had left, for it was silent around her.  
  
But unfortunately, the princess was not yet gone. She walked over to her wooden bucket and filled it with the icy lake water. "Look up," she commanded quietly, softly kicking at Zelda's feet.  
  
Zelda, now covered in blood, dirt, and some of her own tears, turned her head to look at Malon.  
  
Grimacing, Malon lifted the pail of water. "Worthless fliratious wench!" Mercilessly, she threw the bucket at Zelda, ice water splashing all over her bloody back and bringing new pains.  
  
"I heard that there's only half a chance of snow tonight," Malon said, walking away. "So do try and hurry back as soon as you can."  
  
Zelda lay on her stomach, too sore and numb to turn over and protect her back from the wind. She wasn't exactly dressed in the warmest attire, and half of it was gone now anyway.  
  
After a few more minutes of moaning and weeping, the unconciousness Zelda had longed for earlier finally came.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hours later, Zelda woke up. She was in a darkly lit room, with only two burning candles in it. Then she realized that she was in her own room, in her own bed. The servant started to stand up, then was greeted with a sharp pain in her back. Zelda recalled the events of the afternoon, and her eyes started watering up again.  
  
"D'you think she's awake yet?" came a voice from the other side of her closed door. She recognized it as Peach's.  
  
"I don't know," came another. "She's been out cold for hours."  
  
'Link!' she thought to herself. 'What're they doing here?'  
  
"Well, it won't hurt if we go in and look, would it?" Peach asked. "I mean if she's still.....not....awake, it's not like we'll be waking her up or anything."  
  
"Right."  
  
Zelda saw her door slowly open, and the two royals walked in.  
  
"Thank the Goddesses," Peach sighed. "We were beginning to think you might not wake up."  
  
Link tried to say something, but he couldn't.  
  
"I feel so tired," Zelda whispered.  
  
There was a knock on the door.  
  
"Who is it?" asked Peach.  
  
"It's me, your father!" came the response. "Peach, come out here immediately!!"  
  
"I can't! We're--"  
  
"Peach, one of your blasted cats has somehow gotten itself locked inside the closet where Scarlett and Sophie keep all their ingredients!! It's holding up dinner! You come down here and get it out!!"  
  
"Who's stuck in the closet? Which one?"  
  
"HOW SHOULD I KNOW?!?!"  
  
"Fine! I'm coming!" Growling a bit, Peach put a hand on the doorknob, then faced Zelda. "I'm sorry I've got to leave so soon, Zel."  
  
Zelda shook her head. "I don't mind."  
  
"Okay, okay, I'm coming. . ." Eventually, the sound of Peach and King George's footsteps faded away.  
  
Link pulled up a chair to Zelda's bedside. He awkwardly clasped his hands together and hunched over a bit.  
  
"Isn't that bad for your posture?" Zelda joked, remembering how Queen Rose used to always get on Marth's nerves for making him sit straight.  
  
Grinning a bit, Link straightened. His smile quickly disappeared as he asked, "What happened? I was on my way to the forest to go hunting with Peach, and we saw you lying by the lake. How. . .what--"  
  
"I was flogged," Zelda said quietly.  
  
Link was floored. "You mean to say that Malon whipped you??"  
  
Feeling a burning sensation in her throat, the servant could only nod. She winced as she tried to turn and face Link, then painfully asked, "Why am I on my back?"  
  
"I d-don't know," he answered. "The doctor told us to keep you that way."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
After a few more minutes of silence, Zelda drifted into sleep. Link jumped as he heard a loud scream from several floors below.  
  
He heard loud footsteps come up the stairs, and there was a knock on the door.  
  
"Link, are you still in there?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well, your mother's just been attacked by one of Peach's cats," his father's voice said. "I would request that you come down here immediatley and help me with her!"  
  
"Can't you ask Darryl to help?"  
  
"We can't find him! Come out!! Why is this door locked?!"  
  
"All right, all right, I'll be there in a second."  
  
Link leaned over Zelda, and briefly kissed her forehead. Sighing, he slowly lowered his lips to hers, giving her the kiss she would've have wanted more than anything to have been awake for.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Author's note:  
  
well? that okay?  
  
Malon: Wow, I'm so mean.  
  
Zelda: That's okay. I forgive you.  
  
Queen Madeline: Ow! 


	11. Sisters and Goddesses

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Zelda lay miserably in her bed hours later. It was very late at night, and she highly doubted that anyone else in the castle was awake. That didn't matter, though. She was barely up to getting out of bed and finding out for herself.  
  
Suddenly, she saw a dim light shine through the cracks in her door. Zelda thought someone mustv'e been passing by with a lantern, but she knew that no lantern could hold such a bright glow.  
  
The invalid squinted her eyes. "W-who's there?" she called out in a hoarse voice, as the light grew brighter and whiter. Slowly, the door opened.  
  
'Oh no, not again,' Zelda thought to herself, closing her eyes tightly. 'Why do I keep hallucinating?"  
  
"It's not a hallucination," came a small girl's voice. "I'm really here."  
  
Zelda opened her eyes and stared. "Dylan? How did you--"  
  
"--get here? Read your mind? Become an environmentalist? They're all long stories, I must say, Zelda. But I've been sent here to deliver a message: STOP WASTING YOUR TIME WITH THIS LINK GUY!!"  
  
"Yeah!"  
  
Zelda turned to look at the window, and saw Kathryn sitting comfortably on a chair by it. Her mouth dropped slowly open. "How is this.....how're you....please tell me I'm dreaming!!"  
  
"You've still got the bell, haven't you?" Kathryn asked.  
  
"Yes, I--" Forgetting that her back was in immense pain, Zelda had turned sharply to face her sister. Her back started throbbing in soreness again, and she moaned softly.  
  
"What is it?" Dylan asked, rushing towards the bed. She saw the bloody cuts and scars all over Zelda's back and the ones that had seeped through her dress. "HOLY DIN, NAYRU AND FARORE PUT TOGETHER!!!" the little sister screamed dramatically.  
  
Out of no where, a woman with long blue hair appeared next to Dylan, clamping a hand over her mouth. "Hush, child! I knew we shouldn't have sent you! You're too loud--and you always use our names in vain, curse you!"  
  
"Sorry," Dylan squeaked.  
  
"What's the big deal, anyway?" asked the woman.  
  
"It's Zelda," Kathryn answered. "It looks as though she's been flogged."  
  
"That's right," Zelda whispered, turning slowly for the first time. She gasped softly and her eyes widened. "Nayru!"  
  
"In the flesh," Nayru said proudly. "Well. . .kind of. Turn over on your stomach, child. I want to see these so-called injuries."  
  
Knowing that she was dealing with a Goddess (who appeared to be in a bad mood), Zelda obeyed. There came no cry of anguish or gasp of shock, but Nayru put a long fingernail to her chin and thought.  
  
"Hmmm......HMMMMMMMmmmmmmm....."  
  
"IS THAT ALL YOU CAN SAY?!?!" Dylan shouted, waving her arms in the air. "JUST 'HMMMMMMMM?!?!'"  
  
"Dylan!" Kathryn whispered loudly, hitting her sister in the face with a pillow. "Shut up, and give her time to think! Down on your knees!"  
  
Frowning, Dylan got to her knees and mumbled an apology.  
  
Nayru was unmoved. "Din! Farore! Get on down here!"  
  
Seconds later, Nayru's sisters materialized in Zelda's room. "What's up, Nay?" Farore asked.  
  
"It's Zelda," Nayru answered. "Apparently, she's been whipped. As of now, I am without the essential healing abilities to patch up the scars. Howevere, I do believe that the combination of your powers may work."  
  
"Wouldn't hurt to try," Din said, rolling up her colorless sleeves and pulling back her scarlet hair. "C'mon, Farore. Is Zelda asleep?"  
  
"It seems that she's fainted," Farore observed.  
  
"Poor Zel!" Dylan sighed.  
  
"Hey, you two kids get out of here!" Nayru ordered. "This is no time for squeamish children!"  
  
"We aren't squeamish," Kathryn sniffed, raising her head nobly. "And I for one am not a child."  
  
"Please just do as she says," Farore sighed.  
  
"But we've got to tell Zelda something!" Dylan cried.  
  
"We'll tell her for you," Din said patiently.  
  
"Oh, all right," Kathryn agreed. She and her sister slowly dissapated until they finally faded away.  
  
"Honestly!" Nayru huffed. "The way those kids act, you'd think that they forgot we're Goddesses!"  
  
"Hush!" Din hushed her. "They're almost like family, Nay. We've known them all for so long. Besides, people aren't supposed to cower in fear from us all the time. They're supposed to feel comfortable."  
  
"Well you'd still think we'd get a little respect!"  
  
"Give it a rest, will you Nay?" Farore asked, who had been healing Zelda with Din throughout this whole argument. "There we go, I think that ought to have done it."  
  
"Really? Well, glad that's over with," Nayru said. "C'mon, let's go."  
  
Din winked at Farore, and she and Nayru quickly departed. Farore sat down next to Zelda on her bed. She closed her eyes tightly and grasped the servant's hand.  
  
'This wasn't a dream. . .' Farore thought inwardly. 'You're pains are gone, and you have regained your strength, Zelda! Tomorrow morning, you are to find Darryl. . . it is his decided fate that he is to know, and you are the one to tell him!'  
  
Farore opened her eyes and looked down at Zelda. Mental contact was always best, for now Zelda was instinctively find Darryl and hopefully find a way to explain their relationship.  
  
"Good luck," Farore whispered, before she too departed.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The next morning, Zelda flew down the stairs into the kitchen. "Good morning everyone!" she greeted them.  
  
"Zelda?" Sophie asked, turning around. "How's your back?"  
  
Grinning, Zelda skipped around the room and sat down at the table. "It's feeling just fine! I don't know how it happened, but I woke up this morning and then I suddenly felt completely better!"  
  
Cody broke into a smile. "Won't Princess Malon be disappointed to know that her plot failed?" He failed.  
  
"Well, it can't have failed entirely," Scarlett wheezed, who was standing shakily by the counter. "My back still feels like it's been bitten by Wolfos. I'm just glad you're feelin' better, Zel. Sophie told me everything earlier this morning."  
  
"I'm so sorry that you're still in so much pain," Zelda sympathized.  
  
Scarlett shrugged. "Oh, it's nothing."  
  
"Ginseng's been looking for you," Sophie said, smiling. He comes in here all the time, just like Squeaks used to!" The cook suddenly broke into tears.  
  
"Oh, for Nayru's sakes!" Scarlett sighed. "Are you STILL upset about that stupid cat, Sophie?"  
  
"Y-yes!" Sophie stuttered. "Even if he did steal the pickles and the butter, I miss his sneakin' around here!"  
  
Scarlett's exclamation had reminded Zelda of last night. "Y'know, I had the weirdest dream last night," she said slowly.  
  
"What about?" Cody asked.  
  
"The Goddesses," she answered. "The three of them were all in my bedroom, and so were my two late sisters. . .I just can't remember what happened."  
  
"Hey!" Sophie cried. "Maybe that's why your back is feeling better! Maybe the Goddesses really DID go to your room last night and you were healed by them!! It's a possibility, isn't it?"  
  
"Highly unlikely," Scarlett said. "Goddesses ain't got no time to come down to earth and heal any soul that's weak. Holy Din, couldn't I have gotten any help."  
  
"Why don't you make yourself useful and beat these eggs for me," Sophie growled, roughly pushing a bowl towards Scarlett.  
  
Zelda suddenly shivered, and she steadily got to her feet. Numbly, she headed towards the stairs and started to scale them, as if in a trance.  
  
Sophie half expected Zelda's arms to stretch out in front of her and start walking like a zombie.  
  
Crossing the courtyard, Zelda found herself in front of a very long and winding staircase by the North Tower.  
  
'Go up. . .' she heard a voice say in her head. 'Climb the steps!'  
  
'Am I hearing things?' Zelda wondered to herself as she subconciously started to ascend the stairway. 'Goddesses, now I'm climbing them. I don't even know where these stairs lead!'  
  
But she'd soon find out. Heaving deep breaths (the steps seemed to go on endlessly), Zelda almost slipped on something that had been carelessly left on the stairs. Bending down to pick it up, she realized it was a blanket. A very small one.  
  
Not sure what she should do, Zelda stood there and then heard a door open. She looked up and realized that Darryl was only a few steps away from her.  
  
"What're you doing?" he asked from surprise.  
  
Blushing, she quickly ran up the rest of the stairs and bowed in a not too graceful fashion. "Forgive me, highness, but I found this on your staircase and I wondered. . ."  
  
"Oh, yes," Darryl said, turning a bit pink himself. "That's mine. At least, it used to be. I've been. . .erm. . .looking for it."  
  
"This is a very fine material," Zelda commented after a silence. She turned it over. "What's it m--" Zelda almost dropped the coverlet from shock.  
  
On the back of the blanket, she recognized not only herself, but her mother, Dylan, Kathryn, Quint and Matt. Zelda tried to say something, but her voice got caught somewhere in her throat. She probably looked as if she were going to throw up, but she was really just trying to say something.  
  
"Are you feeling all right?" Darryl asked, slowly taking the blanket out of her hands and giving her a strange look. Normally he was never this kind towards the servants, but he felt different about this one.  
  
"W-where did you get that?" Zelda asked in a hoarse voice. "Pray forgive my prying, majesty, but I must know."  
  
"I've had for as long as I can remember," Darryl told her.  
  
"Who are they?" Zelda asked, looking pointedly at the figures sewn into the cloth.  
  
Darryl shrugged. "Oh, no one here is really sure. Just some random people I suppose; I don't know."  
  
"I do," Zelda said in a whisper.  
  
A little surprised, Darryl took a step closer. "You do?"  
  
She forced herself to look into his questioning eyes. "Y-yes, I... I...."  
  
But before she could finish her sentence, she heard loud footsteps come from behind her. Zelda turned around and saw Roy.  
  
He bowed. "Your highness," he said. "Forgive me if I am interrupting, but your father has requested your presence at a meeting. I believe it is quite urgent."  
  
Giving Zelda one last confused look, Darryl made his way quickly down the stairs. Roy stared at him until he was out of sight. Small tears made their way down Zelda's cheeks and she sat down on one of the steps.  
  
"What is it?" Roy asked with concern, sitting down next to her.  
  
"Darryl. . .Prince Darryl!" Zelda cried, wiping desperately at her eyes. "It's.....well, you see he......oh, it's so difficult to explain!! Roy, have you seen Link today?"  
  
"Yes," Roy said stiffly, giving her a strange look. He hestitantly reached up and stroked her cheeks, wiping away her tears. "I just saw him in the court yard."  
  
Zelda shuddered at her touch, feeling a little uncomfortable. He put an arm around her, but she quickly stood up and started running down the stairs.  
  
"I'm sorry Roy," she apologized. "But I must go."  
  
Roy got up and looked out the window. He could see Link in the snowy courtyard, sitting on a bench with his nose stuck in a book. About twenty minutes later (I told you it was a long staircase), Zelda came into view.  
  
She sat down on the bench next to Link. Grinning, he put his book away in a large pocket and faced her. "Zel, you're back is feeling better, I presume?"  
  
"Oh, yes, much better," she responded. "Thank you, it's very nice of you to inquire about it."  
  
Link smiled and flushed slightly, remembering he had kissed Zelda last night.... He wondered how she would've taken to that had she been awake.  
  
Well, there was only one way to find out. he took her hand and leaned towards her.  
  
"Prince Link!" came a voice.  
  
They jumped at the interruption, and turned to find the source of the voice. It was Cody, and he approached them quickly.  
  
"Your presence is requested at a political meeting," he said, bowing. "I believe it's important, and best that you get there as quickly as possible."  
  
"All right." Link got to his feet and ran off.  
  
Zelda watched after him wistfully.  
  
'I was so close!' she thought. 'SO CLOSE!!!!'  
  
Then she realized that she had failed to tell Link that Darryl was her brother, which had been her intention at the start.  
  
As Cody walked back to the castle, Zelda banged her head on a nearby tree. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid!!!'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N:  
  
Din: Weeeeeeel, SOMEONE was in a bad mood today.  
  
Nayru: So I didn't get my coffee. Shoot me.  
  
Sawyerzelda: Well, that about wraps it up for this chapter. Please review!!  
  
Random Quote of the day....................  
  
"He's like putty in my hands."  
  
(coming from no where) "LUUUUUCY!!!"  
  
"Speak of the putty."  
  
--Lucy and Ricky Ricardo 


	12. Silently Ask For the Dawn

Author's note:  
  
i'm too lazy to check which reviewer said it, but i know marth has kind of disappeared. i was begging to notice that myself and i guess he's not in here because he's a butt. he'll be back, though.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Wow," said Scarlett, who was rolling out a pound of dough. "I can't believe that it's already Christmas Eve!"  
  
"I can, and I'm glad!" Sophie sang merrily, skipping about the kitchen adding spices to dishes here and there.  
  
"Sophie can tend to get a little excited around holidays," Cody explained to Roy and Zelda in a whisper.  
  
"Excited?" Scarlett asked, who had overheard the comment. "That's a bit of an understatement, don't you think?"  
  
The four of them turned to look at Sophie, who was still bouncing around the kitchen singing a bunch of "fa-la-la-la-la's."  
  
"Yeah," Cody decided. "It was."  
  
It was about five minutes until Sophie actually realized that they were all staring ar her. She blinked. They blinked. Then she carried on singing.  
  
Zelda stood up. "Well, I'd best be going. Malon's ordered me to brush all the horses today, and I might as well start it."  
  
"You want a hand with that?" Roy asked, starting to get up.  
  
"No thanks, it's fine," Zelda answered. "But thank you for extending the offer."  
  
Meanwhile, at the front gate, the royals of Hyrule and Altea were busy greeting Queen Madeline's sister and her family. Queen Greer's family consisted of her husband John, her sons Nicholas and Jacob, and her three daughters: Jane, Irene and Margaret (that's in age order; oldest to youngest).  
  
"Link!" Margaret yelled, running up to him and hugging him tightly. "I'm so glad we're finally here!! I'm so excited!!"  
  
"Margaret's been looking forward to seeing you every day," Jane explained to Link with a smile.  
  
"You're a few hours later than we expected," Queen Madeline said to her sister.  
  
"Oh, don't get us started," Queen Greer sighed. "On the way to Altea from Baldenac, the captain of the ship and his first mate both started vomiting from some sea food they ate--food poisoning, you see--and most of the crew had it too, so the passengers were able to anchor the ship and go on land to find a doctor and a new captain."  
  
"But they did take their time finding some," King John commented, rolling his eyes. "Unbelievable."  
  
"And who have we here?" Queen Greer inquired, looking fixedly at the Atleans.  
  
"Forgive me for not introducing myself," King Marcum apologized, bowing very low; kissing Queen Greer's hand and shaking King John's. "I am King Marcum of Altea, and my family's been staying here at Hyrule for the past few weeks. This is my son, Marth, and my daughter Malon."  
  
The prince and princess bowed and curtsied respectively. Irene gave Jane a strange side-ways glance as her sister gleamed at Marth. Nicholas himself seemed a little taken by Malon, which made her feel slightly out of place.  
  
"It's simply wonderful to meet you," Queen Greer laughed. "Now if it would be possible, dear sister, the King is feeling rather tired. Would it be all right if we could be shown our rooms?"  
  
"Yes, of course," Queen Madeline responded. "I shall show you to your quarters, and have some of the servants retrieve your luggage."  
  
"I'm not tired!" Margaret insisted. "I want to see Epona, Link!"  
  
"Well, your parents may want you to sleep right now," Link said.  
  
"But it's not even dark yet!" Margaret complained. "I can still see my hands!"  
  
"Be that as it may, we should be resting: it's been a long and winding journey," Jacob told her.  
  
"For some, perhaps. Come on, Link! Please can I see Epona?"  
  
"Would that be all right then?" Link asked, not able to contain a grin.  
  
Sighing, Queen Greer followed her sister into the castle. "It's fine, I suppose. Just don't come complaining to me, Margaret, when you're all tired out."  
  
"The stables are this way, right?" Margaret asked, pulling Link's hand behind her as she walked to the left.  
  
"Yes," Link answered.  
  
As they neared the stables where Epona was kept, the cousins could hear someone singing softly. Link put his index finger to his lips to tell Margaret to be quiet, and she nodded as they walked silently closer.  
  
Link felt his heart float up into his throat (a very awkward feeling) when he discovered that the person singing was Zelda, brushing Epona.  
  
"She asked for the sunlight; he gave her a moon  
  
And the sweet silver songs that he cradled her for  
  
Carry on, carry on through the meek tender times as we  
  
Silently, silently ask for the dawn. . ."  
  
Link noticed that Epona was unnaturally calm while Zelda brushed him. Normally, she made a terrible commotion, especially when it wasn't Link that tried combing her. The words to Zelda's song seemed to sooth her like nothing else.  
  
Suddenly, Zelda said, "Hello, Link." She turned around to face him and put the brush on a nearby ledge. "How long have you been there?"  
  
Link fought to keep his mouth from dropping. "I, er--I've been, um....it'll, uh. . . you see, erm....I--uh......this is Margaret."  
  
"So this is your cousin I've heard so much about," Zelda laughed, stooping down to Margaret's level. "I've heard nothing but wonderful things about you from Link. It's very nice to meet you."  
  
Zelda straightened and curtsied slightly (she always felt strange doing this to royal children, but it would've been rude if she hadn't); and Margaret did the same.  
  
"Are you Princess Malon's sister?" Margaret asked.  
  
"Oh, no," Zelda answered, flushing slightly. "I--I'm only her servant. My name is Zelda."  
  
"That's a nice name," Margaret said. She ran up to Epona and hugged her around the neck. "Oh, I just love horses! And Epona is so beautiful, too. I think she may be my favorite horse in the world!!"  
  
"Yes, she's a great horse," Zelda answered.  
  
At that moment, the three of them noticied two black cats dart pass the stable door; Peach right at their heels.  
  
"FRED!! RYAN, GET BACK HERE!!!" Peach yelled, running in a very un- princess like way that would've made her mother faint. "SOMEONE HELP ME!!!"  
  
"Oh, I'll help!" Margaret volunteered, giggling and running out of the stable to join the chase. She loved running after things.  
  
After an awkward silence, Zelda picked up her brush and walked over to another horse. Link hesitated, then took a step towards her.  
  
"What was that song you were singing?" he asked.  
  
"Oh. . .well, I noticed that Epona got a little wild when I approached her with the brush, just as Princess Malon's horse does. I don't know what it is, but it always seems to sooth the horses, so I decided to try it."  
  
"I think I've heard it somewhere before," Link said, a little unsure.  
  
"I wouldn't be surprised if you hadn't," Zelda said. "It's. . .it's an old Sheikah song that my mother used to sing to me."  
  
"Really?" asked Link, interested. "Then perhaps they were only the lyrics I read. I've just finished reading about the Sheikah in a new book I got."  
  
Zelda raised her eyebrows at him, then quickly looked away. "Have you really?"  
  
"Yes, it was very interesting. It may be the reason why I hold so much spite towards Malon and Marth. . .the Alteans were the ones who demolished their homes and their race."  
  
"I know," Zelda whispered in a small voice that Link didn't hear.  
  
"Um. . .I think that spot's okay now," Link said, taking Zelda's arm and lifting it up. She had been brushing the same spot over and over, though completely unaware of it.  
  
Frowning, she lifted the brush and started combing the other side.  
  
"You must answer this question for me," Link said, walking around the horse and next to her. "How is it that you are able to work so soon after Malon whipped you?"  
  
Zelda shrugged. "I don't know. It was just some sort of miracle, I guess. Rather difficult to explain, I'm afraid."  
  
From behind her, Link put his arms around Zelda's waist. He felt her stiffen up slightly, then relax. "That night it happened. . .you were asleep, and I did something that I don't think you really know about.  
  
Zelda's eyes widened. 'He makes it sound so scandalous!' she thought. "What is it, Link?"  
  
Grinning, Link whispered in her ear, "I know something you don't know."  
  
"What?" Zelda asked again, smiling and turning around. She put her arms up around his neck, which turned out to look like a very quintessential position. "What did you do?"  
  
Link looked down into her eyes, suddenly feeling very lost in them. He suddenly leaned towards her, kissing her lips gently, but with passion. His hands roamed along her back and neck as the servant stroked his hair adoringly.  
  
Zelda was stunned. The last time she'd been kissed was by Marth, and it hadn't exactly been the story-book kind. She knew Marth was always carrying on small affairs with servants, but immediately she could tell Link was different. He was sincere.  
  
The servant raised her hands to Link's face, taking it in and affectionately letting his lips explore her neck and her own mouth.  
  
To steady herself, Zelda took a half-step back and bumped into the flanks of the blind horse she'd been brushing. Very spooked, the horse reared on it's hind legs and flew out of the stables.  
  
Subsequently, Zelda crashed to the floor, Link right on top of her. She looked up at him in shock, and he returned her expression. He was about to kiss her again, when--  
  
"HOLY NAYRU!!!" shouted Peach from about two acres away. "NOW PAUL IS LOSE!!! you know, Margaret, my blind horse--GODDESSES, WHERE'S DARRYL WHEN YOU NEED HIM!???"  
  
Well, talk about ruining a romantic moment. Both of them blushing, Link helped Zelda to her feet. They were about to walk in seperate directions when they realized they'd both be heading towards the castle anyway. Feeling a little shy around the other, the two of them walked back to the castle together.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
a/n:  
  
you must remember this.......a kiss is just a kiss, a siiiiiiiiiiiiiigh iiiiiiiiiiiiis just a siiiigh. the FUNDAMENTAL THIIIIIIINGS applyyyyyyyyy as time goes byyyyyyyy..........and when two lovers woo, they still say i love you......as time goes byyy.  
  
sry, i just watched that movie and i love it!!!..............y'know, casablanca.  
  
Irene: Wow, that's REALLY beside the point.  
  
Zelda: Yeah, but the "fundamental things" part inspired the title of sawyerzelda's other ssbm story.  
  
Link: It's true.  
  
Sawyerzelda: i'm being stalked by my characters.  
  
Zelda: no we're not, we're in your story anyway.  
  
sawyerzelda: ..................what?  
  
Lucy and Ethel: We're confused.  
  
sawyerzelda: confused?? you're not even in this story!!  
  
Debbie: I like eggs.  
  
Lucy and Ethel: who's debbie?  
  
Malon: Who're YOU?!  
  
sawyerzelda: whatever. plz review, my readers!!  
  
Random Quote of the Day:  
  
"I don't paint my dreams. I paint my reality."  
  
--Frida Khalo 


	13. On the first and only day of Christmas

get ready to paaaaaaaaaaaaarty!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Well, Christmas Day had finally come. The castle was buzzing with excitement; servants bustling about fixing decorations, straightening paintings and such. The dinner guests were due to arrive any moment.  
  
Sophie awaited them at the door. King George nodded, and she opened it. Poor Sophie was nearly squashed alive as the throng of people crowded into the castle; promptly banging the door against the wall.  
  
Zelda was still in the kitchen, letting Scarlett help her with her dress.  
  
"Does the prince often do this?" Zelda inquired.  
  
"Do what?" Scarlett asked, tying a sash around Zelda's waist.  
  
"Invi--OUCH, that's so tight--invite servants to balls like these."  
  
"Oh, it's something of a Hyrule custom. In order to thank a servant for his or her services, Princess Peach and the Princes Link and Darryl are told to extend an invitation to one of the servants." She breathed out heavily, handing Zelda a pair of evening gloves. "Here...of course, most of the time, they feel a little forced by the Queen."  
  
Biting down on her lip, Zelda turned around and faced Scarlett. Her sleevless dress was a dark blue color, splashed with light cerulean colors here and there; her hair was pulled back, excepting two strands that hung at either side of her face. Zelda's gloves were tinted silver, and she bore two sapphire earrings that matched the necklace she was wearing.  
  
Scarlett raised her eyebrows and nodded. "Look lovely, Zelda," she told her. "You'll make Malon look like....uh....well, something bad. Blue looks very nice on you."  
  
"Thanks," Zelda said, blushing and stepping down from the stool she'd been standing on.  
  
Then Sophie crashed through the doors, her dress and hair looking a little ruffled. She was heaving very deep breaths, and managed to say, "I was attacked....by a multitude of dukes and duchesses." Sophie turned towards Zelda with a curtsy. "Evening, milady."  
  
"Sophie, it's me!" Zelda said.  
  
Sophie did a double take and looked again. "Goddesses Zelda, I didn't recognize you! You could easily pass for a princess! That's what I thought you were, honest I did! Everyone up there in that party'll take you for one, I'm sure."  
  
"Well, I think Princess Malon will make the point quite clear that I am nothing but a lowly servant," Zelda said in a slightly nasal voice, lifting her head up nobly and impersonating Malon. She practiced a curtsy.  
  
"Where'd you get the material?" Sophie asked curiously.  
  
"Isn't that Princess Peach a dear?" Scarlett laughed. "She lent Zelda the dress and the jewelry!" She looked over at Zelda again proudly, then said, "Well stop wastin' time, child! Go up there!"  
  
"Oh! Right!"  
  
Zelda headed up the stairs and entered the hallway. She looked inside the humongous room where all the guests were gathered. She'd never noticed how the large the room really was. She gulped, then took a step inside.  
  
Trying to find a familiar face, Zelda made her way through the crowd. Some bowed and nodded their heads at her politely, and she acknowledged them with either a nod or a curtsy. She had to grin at all the decorations she and the others had put up all over the castle. It really did look lovely that way.  
  
There were long rows of lengthy tables on each side of the room. People were beginning to sit down, and Zelda decided she'd better find a place quickly. Trying to find a seat was like playing a game of musical chairs.  
  
Then Zelda noticed Link sitting down at the far end of one table; away from his family (who was at the other). It was empty, and she headed towards it. On the other side of the room, she saw a brunette beauty walking over. Zelda quickened her pace slightly, as did the other girl.  
  
Taking two last large and un-lady like steps, Zelda reached him first. "Is this seat taken?" she asked.  
  
"Why no, it's--Zelda!" Link sighed. "N-no, please sit down."  
  
"Thanks." When Link wasn't looking, Zelda quickly stuck her tongue out at the brunette. Looking highly offended, the girl stalked off.  
  
"You look gorgeous," Link said. "I mean....y'know, you always do, but I didn't recognize you for a second in that attire."  
  
"Thank you," Zelda said, her face turning a pinkish color. "And may I say that tonight, as always, you're looking wonderful too."  
  
Dozens of servants entered the room, setting down platters of all sorts in front of the guests. Scarlett, not far from Zelda, winked at her before walking away.  
  
Sophie set down a plate in front of a small boy, who was saying, "My father just got me this great new toy that squeaks every time you--"  
  
"SQUEAKS!!" Sophie cried dramatically, running out of the kitchen and sobbing hysterically. "My poor Squeaks!!" Rolling her eyes, Scarlett felt responsible to comfort her fellow cook, and walked after her.  
  
Malon glared evilly at Zelda. 'That girl's got some nerve!' she thought to herself. 'Showing up at this party almost right after I flogged her!'  
  
"Looks like Link's warming up a bit to Zelda," Darryl said to her, trying to begin a conversation with what was probably not the best topic. "That IS her, right?" Had he been looking close enough, the prince would've noticed steam shooting out of Malon's ears.  
  
Trying to think of something else, Malon looked over at the the other royals. Jane had engaged Marth into a deep conversation; it was the same with Queen Greer and Queen Madeline and the three Kings; Margaret had accidentally spilled pea green soup down her front; and her was Malon: stuck with three boys trying desperately to flirt with her. And yet she wanted none of them.  
  
"Do you like clam chowder?" asked Nick, nodding at his bowl.  
  
"Nonsense, that'll make her nose turn green," sneered Jacob, trying to think up any excuse possible.  
  
"That is a lovely dress you're wearing," Darryl commented.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
After dinner was over, Malon made her move. An orchestra had begun playing a quick jig, and she rushed towards Link. He stood up as she curtsied.  
  
"Good evening," she said, extending an arm. "Would it be at all possible for me to have this dance with you?"  
  
"Um....sure," Link answered, knowing it would be rude if he didn't. He took her arm and they walked onto the dance floor.  
  
Squinting her eyes, Zelda stood as well and migrated to a far-off corner of the room. She looked pointedly at Link, who caught her eye and mouthed an apology. Zelda raised an eyebrow and slowly lifted her fan. She paused, then opened it, breathing in deeply; waved it lightly at her face and then walked away (yes graham, it was in the lizzie bennet fashion). Zelda could take the risk of being a coy flirt.  
  
A young duke walked up to Zelda and bowed, offering her his arm. "May I have this dance, milady?"  
  
"It would be my pleasure," Zelda said through clenched teeth, putting away her fan and taking his arm.  
  
Once the jig was over, Darryl crossed the room towards Malon and asked her to dance the next one with him. It was a waltz this time.  
  
When Malon had disappeared in the crowd, Link walked towards Zelda. "Forgive me if you found my manner rude in any way, but--"  
  
"Of course not," Zelda said, blinking and smiling.  
  
"Would you dance this one with me?"  
  
"I'd be delighted."  
  
Grinning, Link took Zelda onto the dance floor. Zelda wasn't sure how she had learned to waltz, but somehow she just....knew.  
  
Peach, who had been forced into a dance with Marth (and was recieving evil looks from Jane), winked at Link, who smiled back.  
  
"I wonder what's going on up there?" Sophie sighed from the kitchen.  
  
"I don't know," Scarlett said. "Do you know where Cody is?"  
  
"Yeah, he's on guard duty, remember?"  
  
"Oh yeah." Suddenly, Scarlett grinned widely. "Hey Sophie...d'you remember when Zelda told us a while ago that in Altea she used to sneak outside and watch the parties from the windows?"  
  
"Aaaand....where are you going with this?"  
  
Sighing with exasperation, Scarlett grabbed Sophie by the arm. "I'm suggesting that we do the same, you idiot. C'mon."  
  
"W-what?" Sophie asked in shock, as Scarlett dragged her up the stairs. "Have you gone crazy? What if we're caught?!"  
  
"Oh, don't be such a worry wart," Scarlett sighed. "We won't be needed for another couple hours at the least." She grabbed her coat as they prepared to enter the hall, and handed Sophie hers.  
  
"Farore, it's freezing out here," Sophie stuttered, as she and Scarlett trekked through the snow. "And I don't know how to climb trees!" she added, upon seeing Scarlett shimmy up one herself.  
  
"C'mon, I'll help you," Scarlett said, offering a hand.  
  
Through their combined efforts, Sophie was able to get on the second- lowest branch. "Oh look, now we can see!"  
  
"Do you see Zelda?" Scarlett asked, peering down at the people below.  
  
"Erm....what color was her dress again?"  
  
"Blue--oh look, there she is!"  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Over there, by the--GASP!! She's dancing with Prince Link; how nice!"  
  
"I still don't see her. Is she the one over by the stone pillar?"  
  
"What're you--Sophie, that's the Duchess of....something, or other-- Zelda's the one over by the right corner in the--"  
  
"Ohhhhhh, now I see her!"  
  
By the time Sophie had finally found Zelda, the waltz ended.  
  
"It....it stopped."  
  
"Well, what'd you expect?" Scarlett asked sarcastically.  
  
"It's strange," Zelda said, walking off the dance floor; Link right behind her.  
  
"What is?" the prince asked.  
  
"I've never waltzed before in my life," she said.  
  
"That is somewhat strange," Link agreed, "because you dance divinely."  
  
"Thank you," Zelda said, with a curtsy and a flutter of her fan.  
  
Link suddenly found himself surrounded by a group of giddy girls, all asking for the next dance. Zelda only smiled at him flirtatiously before walking away.  
  
"No!" Sophie cried from her position in the tree. "She's walkin' away!"  
  
"'Course she is," Scarlett said. "She's goin' for the coy tactic, I think."  
  
"BOO!" Sophie shouted, before Scarlett clamped a hand over her mouth.  
  
Seconds before the dance started, Marth walked up to Zelda and bowed courteously. "It would seem that a lovely lady such as yourself should not be force to stand to the side on a number like this. May I have this dance....Zelda?"  
  
"Um....yes," Zelda said, taking his arm uneasily. "Certainly."  
  
"EEW, now she's dancing with that Prince Marth character!" Sophie booed. "She's a traitor to the cause!"  
  
"What cause?" Scarlett sighed with exasperation. "Or are you just being overly melodramatic?" She got only a shrug from Sophie.  
  
Zelda glanced over at Link from the corner of her eye. 'That girl is getting a little too close,' she thought darkly. 'Curse her!' She wished she wasn't at such a formal party. Otherwise, she would've beaten the pulp out of the woman dancing with Link.  
  
Once the dance was over, Zelda saw Margaret being dragged out of the hall by one of the servants.  
  
"I don't want to go!" she cried. "I'm old enough to stay! Let me stay! Please!"  
  
Zelda began to walk over, to see what she could do, but Marth grabbed her arm and stopped her. "It would be quite honored, Zelda, if you would bestow me with the next dance."  
  
"I'm sorry, I think I'll step out of this one."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"I am begging to be excused," Zelda answered, giving him an innocent look. Reluctantly, he let her go, and she walked over to Margaret.  
  
"I want to stay!" Margaret demanded.  
  
"Young Princess," Zelda said, "I believe that it would be best for you to do as your parents wish, and get yourself to bed." Margaret gave her a strange look, trying to remember who she was. "I'm Zelda....we met last night."  
  
"Oh!" Margaret beamed. "Do you really think I should go to bed, then?"  
  
"....yes."  
  
"All right. But I want you to come with me," she said, grabbing Zelda's hand. "It's awfully dark in these corridors, and I'd much rather walk them with a friend than with a complete stranger." The Little Princess made a face at the servant who had been ordered to escort her out, and then left the room with Zelda in tow.  
  
"It must nice to be able to stay and dance at the balls like these," Margaret sighed. "I can't wait until I'm older."  
  
"Well, you mustn't wish away your childhood too quickly," Zelda told her.  
  
"I don't wish to squander it," Margaret said, as they turned another corner. "I don't want to grow up. I'm afraid of all the duties that must be fulfilled, and all of that. I just wish I had a little more freedom."  
  
'I know how that feels,' Zelda thought, rolling her eyes.  
  
"Good-night," Margaret suddenly said, opening a door. "See you tomorrow then, Zelda."  
  
"She's left the room already!" Sophie cried incredulously. "Why's she gone?!"  
  
"That's appallingly strange," Scarlett commented.  
  
"You! Up there!" came a voice from beneath the tree they were sitting in. "Get down here immediately!"  
  
He didn't have to tell them to; they fell from the tree out of shock anyway.  
  
"Cody!" Scarlett scolded, upon seeing it was he that had spooked them. "What're you doing? It's just us!"  
  
"Oh, sorry," Cody apologized. "But I heard some voices from up there, and I'm on guard duty, so I'm supposed to....y'know, look out. What're you two doing up there, anyway? Shouldn't you be in the castle?"  
  
"We just had to get somewhere where we could get a better view," Scarlett explained. "The tree really suited us."  
  
"Well, sorry to break up the fun," Cody said, "but I think they could use you guys in the castle right about now."  
  
"Could they really?" Sophie asked, being dragged into the domicile by Scarlett. "How annoyingly interesting..."  
  
Meanwhile, Zelda was trying to find her way back to the ball room. 'It shouldn't be too hard,' she told herself. 'All I really need to do is follow the scent of Malon's perfume. That should lead me right to it.'  
  
Eventually, she was able to hear the sounds of music and laughter wafting through the corridors. 'I must be getting close!' she thought. At that moment, she felt someone bump into her. "Oh, pardon me," she quickly apologized.  
  
"Zelda?"  
  
"....Link?"  
  
"Yes, I've been looking for you."  
  
"You have? How'd you know where to find me?"  
  
"Well, I managed to ask my cousin Irene if she'd seen Margaret, because I didn't see her, then she said she saw you take her out of the room. Well, she didn't know it was YOU, but she described you well enough so that I got the point."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Follow me, there's something I want to show you."  
  
In the dim light, Zelda went along with Link into a well lit room; the library. The prince walked over to one of the tables and picked up a wrapped box. "Here, Zel. I got this for you. Merry Christmas."  
  
She stood there in shock. Zelda hadn't really been expecting a present from Link; and she also felt guilty for not having one for him. "L- Link, I couldn't possibly--"  
  
"Oh, go on, Zelda," Link said, grinning. "You know you're going to open it eventually, so you might as well make it now."  
  
The servant looked up at him with a sarcastic look, then smiled as she took the package when Link handed it to her. Carefully, she took the paper off and opened the box. A small, silver harp lay inside, glowing with anxiety to be played.  
  
Zelda stared at it. "How....how did you--"  
  
"I heard you playing Peach's harp once," Link answered. "I asked her about it, and she told me that you played one very well and would someday like one of your own. So here's one for you."  
  
She closed her eyes and held it out for him. "I'm sorry, Link. I-I cannot take it; it is too fine a gift."  
  
"Nonsense," Link chuckled. "Go on, Zel. I'll be highly offended if you don't."  
  
Smiling helplessly, Zelda threw her arms around Link's neck (after carefully setting the harp down on the nearby table). "But I still have a guilt complex, I'm afraid. You see, I wasn't able to get you anything."  
  
"That's all right," Link whispered into her ear. He looked up, grinning impishly. "Mistletoe."  
  
"Hm," Zelda said simply. She leaned towards Link and kissed him ardently, getting the same from him. She felt his tongue press against her lips gently, and she opened her mouth so that it could get in. Groping her back and shoulders, Link's kisses began to get more intense; and Zelda accepted them with eagerness.  
  
As this carried on, a figure passed the slightly ajar door briefly. He came to an immediate halt, then turned and peered back inside. It was Roy; but Link and Zelda didn't notice him, because they were completely lost in each other. Roy clenched his teeth together to prevent him from screaming. Burning with rage, he turned on his heel and swiftly walked in the other direction.  
  
Moments later, Link and Zelda broke apart. She grinned up at him then leaned on the small table. "So...." she began, looking about the library. "Read any good books lately, Link?"  
  
"Um...yes, I did actually," Link answered, standing next to her. "Been reading a bit of literature and....this new book on the Sheikah." He picked up a book next to him and handed it to her.  
  
"Yes, I know a lot about them," she whispered, flipping through the pages. "A lot." Suddenly, she felt something in her brain throb, and she shut the book loudly, giving it back to the prince. "L-Link, there's something I've been meaning to tell you. It kind of has to do with the Sheikah."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Well...I'm assuming you've read that if raised in a different community, they can adapt to the people and their culture, and instead of appearing to be a Sheikah, they'd seem more like....Altean, for example?"  
  
Link stared at her hopeful and frightened expression. A sudden realization struck him sharply. "Y-you're a Sheikah?!" he asked.  
  
Zelda quickly looked down and strummed the harp strings in a distracted way. "Yes. I am. But I'm not the only one here who is."  
  
"What do you mean?" Link asked, putting his hand down on hers to stop playing the harp (it was getting very diverting).  
  
"It's Darryl," Zelda whispered, small tears coursing their way down her cheeks.  
  
"What about him?"  
  
Looking up to face him, Zelda took a deep breath. "He's not your brother, Link .... He's mine."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
a/n:  
  
well, she's finally told him. and during such a romantic spot, too. plz review! 


	14. An Awkward Situation

wow, sry it's been a while. school just started, and i have been sooooooo unbelievably busy. u may have 2 start waiting longer 4 chapters, b/c i have like seven hours of school, saxophone lessons, jazz band, Mutual, and homework. sorry.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Link stared at her, and Zelda let these words sink in. "Y-your brother?" he finally managed to stammer. "What d'you mean, Zel?"  
  
"Just what I say," she whispered. "In the beginning, I only thought of it as an extreme coincidence...but now I know I must face the truth. He possesses ... something that only my brother Darryl could have."  
  
The prince tried to speak, but it felt as if something was squeezing the sound out of his vocal cords. After a rather long silence, he said, "Does he know this?"  
  
Zelda slowly shook her head. "I would hope that if he did, he would have...no, I don't know if he knows it. Surely he wouldn't be able to recognize me, or the fact that I used to be....where are you going?"  
  
"I'm not feeling very well," he stammered, stopping at the doorway. "I really think I should be going to sleep."  
  
"Link, I'm really sorry," Zelda apologized, walking up to him. "I shouldn't have told you, it must be--"  
  
"No," Link said quietly, putting a finger to her lips. "I'm glad you told me, Zelda." He felt bad that she felt bad, and had to tell her somehow that she was wrong. Link kissed her again, making sure she knew she had apologized wrongly. Then he swiftly walked out the door. "Tomorrow, I'm going to ask father about all this."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Don't be preposterous," King George muttered the next day. "Where on earth did you hear that your own brother Darryl is not--"  
  
"The source is not as important as the answer to the question," Link interrupted. "And I should like very well to know the truth right now."  
  
Queen Madeline pulled on a rope near her chair. Julianne came running in with a small curtsy. "Yes, highness?"  
  
"Would you kindly fetch Prince Darryl and see that he is brought here?" the Queen asked in a choked voice. She carefully fingered a small blanket that she held in her hands beneath the table.  
  
"Yes'm."  
  
"What're you getting him for?" King George asked once Julianne had left. "You know that he--"  
  
"It's no use pretending anymore," Queen Madeline interjected curtly. "Link knows." She gave her son a confused look. "But just out of curiousity my boy, exactly who was it that told you this?"  
  
"Erm...it was--"  
  
"Mother, father, you sent for me?"  
  
The three royals looked up as they saw Darryl enter the room. Queen Madeline stood up awkwardly. "Yes, Darryl, we called for you."  
  
"Is something the matter?"  
  
"Link, shut the door," King George said. "I would appreciate it if we didn't have any eavesdroppers."  
  
Frowning a bit, Link went to close the doors. As he did so, he saw Zelda walk past them. "Wait," he told her, causing her to stop. Link turned to face his mother. "You asked me who told me about Darryl....do you still wish to know?"  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"Zelda, come in here," Link said, shutting the door behind her. She curtised uncomfortably.  
  
King George looked as if he were about to start shouting a lecture, but Queen Madeline stopped him before he began by clearing her throat. Slowly, she walked towards Zelda.  
  
"You are Princess Malon's servant, are you not?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Yes, your higness," Zelda answered softly.  
  
"And...forgive my prying, but how long have you been under her...employment?"  
  
"Ever since--" Zelda let out an involuntary shudder--"her highness Queen Rose died. Before then, I..." Her voice trailed off slowly, as she didn't want to begin to describe her earlier days.  
  
"As you may or may not have known," Queen Madeline said, walking back across the room. "I was quite a good friend of Queen Rose's. That is perhaps the reason why we have had her family here on so...many occasions." Well, there had only been two. Oh well.  
  
The King looked about ready to say something, but his wife silenced him yet again with a soft, pleading look. Grumpily, he shut his mouth and looked away.  
  
Queen Madeline shut her eyes. "Many years ago...I remember Queen Rose telling me about a young girl she had taken under her wing." She opened her eyes, and faced Zelda. "A-are you the Sheikah she took in?"  
  
Zelda nodded numbly. "I do believe that was me."  
  
"What's going on here?" Darryl asked in confusion.  
  
"You'll understand in a moment, I have a feeling," Link muttered.  
  
Pursing her lips together, the Queen walked back to her chair and picked up Darryl's blanket (she'd been holding it earlier). She set it down on the table in front of her. "Come closer, child," she whispered. Zelda slowly approached her.  
  
Using her finger, Queen Madeline traced her finger from picture to picture. She looked up at Zelda when she saw Kathryn, then subtly shook her head. She came to Dylan...no, her hair was too red...the last picture on the cloth. The Queen looked up at Zelda. Her eyes stared into Zelda's blue ones, just as in the picture.  
  
Zelda gulped faintly. She herself wasn't exactly sure of what was going on.  
  
"Would someone please explain this whole thing to me?" Darryl asked.  
  
"Why don't you explain it, George?" Queen Madeline suggested.  
  
"ME?!"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Why me?!"  
  
"Because you're--"  
  
"Would someone please just tell me what this is all about?" Darryl cried.  
  
"I'll tell you!" Zelda shouted over the King and Queen's quarreling voices. The four of them turned to face her. She suddenly noticed that she was on the spot, and had no idea what to say. "......um......"  
  
"Please, allow me," Link sighed. He looked over at his brother. "About eighteen years ago, the Alteans decided that the Sheikahs were an uncivilized, inhumane group of people. You know who the Sheikah were, don't you?"  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"Well then....umm...actually, I don't know what happened next."  
  
"I do," Queen Madeline said. "Darryl, this statement is long overdue. We should have told you before."  
  
"TOLD ME WHAT?!"  
  
The Queen breathed in heavily, and looked away. "You are not of this family."  
  
"........what?"  
  
"You are a Sheikah," she continued. "After a final raid, your father and...King George and I searched the wrecked houses for any survivors. There was one last house we went to, and we--we found you there." Tears started to course down her cheeks, and her sobs were quite audible. "The rest of your family h-had been slaughtered, o-or so we thought. But it appears that Queen Rose had already been there, and taken Zelda into her own h-home!"  
  
As you can imagine, this hit Darryl rather hard. Looking around for some source of encouragement, his eyes met Zelda's. "Then you...you are my sister?"  
  
Crying silently herself, Zelda tried to speak. "I am."  
  
Darryl walked over to the table and picked up the coverlet. "Then...then this is you, on the very bottom?"  
  
"Yes. A-and the others are your f-family. That's m-mother, and your sisters a-and brothers, and..." Zelda started to cry loudly, sinking to the floor. She'd finally gotten it out, she'd finally told him, she'd finally done what her mother and sisters had told her to do. So why was she crying? And how was Darryl supposed to deal with this?  
  
Link walked over to Zelda and held her in a tight embrace. "It's okay, Zel. It's okay. You don't have to cry."  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?" Darryl asked, now facing his parents. "You've kept it from me from all these years. Why?"  
  
The King and Queen looked at each other uncertainly, neither knowing how to answer the question.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
well...........that okay?  
  
Random Quote of the day:  
  
"Everyone knows that the best day in a woman's life is when babies are born!"  
  
--Melanie Wilkes 


	15. An explanation?

i'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update!!! school is a butt!! it should die!! my bro has so much hw to do on the computer and i never have time to write!! here's something of a pathetic chapter, though!!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The King and Queen looked at each other uncertainly, neither knowing how to answer the question. Why had they kept it a secret?  
  
"I'm all ears," Darryl said to his parents darkly.  
  
"W-well, we were afraid you might not love us the same way," the King finally sputtered. "You know, maybe if you found out we weren't your real parents, you might not love us like you do now."  
  
"So I've been living a lie!" Darryl concluded.  
  
The Queen tried to come up with a response to this, but she failed to come up with anything. She looked down and said, "It's exactly what Queen Rose would've done if she'd known you were still alive."  
  
For a minute, Darryl seemed confused. Then he whipped towards Zelda, who was slowly being helped to her feet by Link. "Zelda, when Queen Rose took you to her home, did she tell you you were a princess?"  
  
Zelda shook her head and gave a small sob. "No."  
  
"Well, there's an eyewitness for you," Darryl said, turning to his mother (or should I say The Queen). "But I guess I shouldn't be talking down to you, should I? After all, I'm a peasant and I could be hung for talking back. Couldn't I?"  
  
"Darryl, you misunderstand us," Queen Madeline whispered. "We still love you! We love you as if you were our own son, try to understand!"  
  
"What's not to understand? I understand perfectly. Really, I do." He said this a bit quickly, then ran a hand through hair distractedly. He sighed. "Forgive me for blowing up like that. I suppose that in your own way, you thought you were doing the right thing. Even if I disagree with you."  
  
"Please don't apologize," Queen Madeline sighed. "The fault lies with us."  
  
"No, it--"  
  
"No arguments about whose fault it is, please," Link interrupted. "Mother, father, would you permit me to go find Peach? I believe she has a right to be informed about all of this..."  
  
"Please do, Link."  
  
"And may I be given permission to leave to my...room?" Darryl asked.  
  
The King blinked. "Yes."  
  
Darryl bowed clumsily and left the room in an awkward manner. Zelda began to follow, but she was stopped by the Queen.  
  
"Wait a moment, Zelda."  
  
The servant turned around. "Yes, your highness?"  
  
Queen Madeline swiftly stood up and crossed the room, so that she was standing not too far away from Zelda. "How long have you known? How long have you known that...Darryl was your brother?"  
  
Her eyes glued to the ground, Zelda fumbled with her answer. "When I first met him, I suspected that he...well, I wasn't entirely sure. But as time went by, he started to seem more and more like the brother I knew. Then at night, I was...I dreamt that...no, it wasn't a dream. The Goddesses spoke to me directly, telling me that I was to tell Darryl the truth, and expose myself as his sister."  
  
The Queen stared at her for a moment. "You do know that for some time, Darryl has had an infatuation for the Princess Malon?"  
  
Zelda shifted her sight from side to side. This wasn't a subject change, was it? "Yes, your highness, I did know..."  
  
"And yet you also..." Queen Madeline stopped abruptly. She reached up a hand and gently stroked Zelda's dirty cheek. "Holy Din, you look just like her."  
  
"Like whom, your majesty?"  
  
"Your mother," the Queen answered. "I saw your mother one time. We searched your house for survivors after the raid. She was dead, and we thought Darryl was the only occupant of the house who had survived."  
  
Silent tears came out of Zelda's eyes, but she refused to make a mess out of herself like she had before.  
  
"If I may, your majesty, there is a question I would like to ask you," Zelda said in a trembling voice.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
The servant girl took a deep breath before asking, "Do you know who it was the raided all of the Sheikah homes?"  
  
Queen Madeline stopped to think. "No, I don't. George?"  
  
The King shook his head.  
  
"Exactly who was it, Zelda?"  
  
"The--"  
  
"Oh Zelda!! There you are, dear! I've been searching high and low for you!! You haven't been in hiding, have you?"  
  
Her ears twitching at the sound of that all-too-familiar voice, Zelda slowly turned around. "Is there something you would require of me, Princess Malon?"  
  
"Yes dear, just a few moments in my room, I think!"  
  
"Of course, your higness." Zelda turned once more, bowed to the King and Queen, then walked out of the room. As soon as the servant shut the doors, Malon's smile completely evaporated.  
  
"Just exactly what were you doing in there??" she demanded.  
  
"I was humoring Queen Madeline," Zelda said quietly. "She simply asked me some questions, and I felt it necessary to answer her."  
  
"And why should I believe you?!"  
  
"Because I'm telling the truth. Not like you've ever believed in the thing."  
  
Malon flushed. "You've got a lot of nerve, Zelda! More than what's good for you! Someday you'll realize it, but it'll be too late by then!! C'mon, walk!" She shoved Zelda in the general forward direction. The princess kept this up until they reached a small dungeon cell.  
  
"If I may ask, what was the crime I committed?" Zelda asked.  
  
"Several things, and this is making up for them all!" Malon answered. "Talking back, flirting with royalty, and all those things my mother used to let you get away with before she died!!"  
  
With a final huff of fury, Malon shoved Zelda behind the iron bars and shut the door with a satisfying bang. A devilish grin was plasted across her face. Malon wasn't exactly sure why she was smiling so. True, she had just eliminated her only competition, but there really wasn't a need to be...yes there was. Why not be happy?  
  
Malon had overheard Link explaining the whole thing about Darryl to Peach. How the Hyrule princess was handling it, she didn't know. But Malon was tad too smug about it all.  
  
"What'd you do?" came a voice.  
  
The princess turned left, and saw Marth approaching her. She flushed. "How did you know that--"  
  
"Whenever you have that smug look on your face, it's a dead give away that you've done something."  
  
"If you must know, Marth, I simply had Zelda imprisoned. Saw to it myself, actually."  
  
"Hmmm...you never really liked her much, did you?"  
  
"Is it that easy to tell?" Malon asked sarcastically.  
  
"Kind of."  
  
Malon's eyes suddenly widened as an idea started forming in her head. "Marth, where's Roy?"  
  
"I don't know...why?"  
  
"I'll be in my room. Bring him to me as soon as you find him."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Link and Peach sat inside her room, staring outside at the falling snow flakes. There had been a very long silence.  
  
"So you think Darryl is all right?" Peach whispered.  
  
"He took it a bit better than I thought he might," Link sighed. "Of course, he could be having a complete mental break down in his room right now and we wouldn't even know about it."  
  
"True...of course, he's not the only one who had his share of nasty shocks today."  
  
"What d'you mean?" Link asked curiously.  
  
Peach looked down and fiddled with a loose string on her bedspread. "I just found out that I've been engaged to Prince Marth."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
hope that was ok....plz review!!! 


	16. Malon's Plan

omg, sry its been so long!!! i've had sooooooooooooooo much hw, school, jazz band, mutual, and no time 2 write b/c my bro's always doing hw on the computer!!! i'm so sry!! not being able 2 update is hurting me more than its hurting u!!  
  
but heres something of a lame chapter....  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Zelda sat alone in her dingy cell, throwing a stone repeatedly against the wall. Never before had she felt such a deep hatred towards Malon. Zelda wanted nothing more right now than to stick a saber down that princess's throat.  
  
She heard footsteps approaching. Seconds later, Roy was flung into the diminutive cell Zelda was occupying, and landed on his face. Frowning, she walked over to him and helped him to his feet.  
  
"Roy, are you all right?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, I guess I'm okay," he answered. "Marth just threw me in here."  
  
"Erm...yeah, so I gathered. What'd he do it for?"  
  
"I was allegedly reading some of his books, or something else lame like that. He didn't really have the decency to tell me what I was being imprisoned for. I suppose you're in here for something stupid too, aren't you?"  
  
"Yeah," Zelda muttered, blushing a bit, walking over to the opposite wall and sinking down to the floor. She put her hands around her knees and bent her head down in-between them.  
  
"Well, at least we're here together," Roy said hopefully, taking a seat down next to her and smiling weakly.  
  
Zelda, who really couldn't have cared less if Roy had NOT been there, nodded somewhat glumly. Roy, however, saw through it.  
  
"I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to this," Roy muttered.  
  
"To what?" Zelda asked, lifting her head to face him.  
  
"Well, I...to tell you the truth Zel, I saw you and Prince Link on Christmas day in th-the library..."  
  
"You mean you were spying on us?!" Zelda shouted, shocked and scandalized that Roy would do such a thing.  
  
"No, no, I wasn't spying," Roy said hastily. "The door had been left open, and I couldn't help but see it." He sighed from annoyance and sadness. "You love him, don't you, Zelda?"  
  
Zelda felt she had the right to give him some sort of sarcastic comment, but instead merely murmured, "Yes. More than anything. But is that what you regretted to tell me? That you saw...us?"  
  
"I'm afraid it's more than that," Roy whispered. "Just last night, I saw Prince Link and her highness Malon...he...well, first he knelt down and he..." Roy banged his head against the wall. "To make a long story short, he proposed. To Princess Malon."  
  
The servant stared at Roy. What he was saying didn't make any sense. "But how... how could he..." Zelda was shaking terribly, and wasn't able to piece a sentence together.  
  
"Of course, the princess asked about you and him," Roy continued. "But he seemed to shrug you off as nothing. Apparently he was attempting to make her jealous of the two of you...I'd say it worked."  
  
Zelda's face became very blank. "Roy, this c-can't be!!" she finally managed to stammer. "Link doesn't love Malon; I know he doesn't!" She started to choke on her tears. "He might love someone other than me, but I know that not in a million years would he be able to love Malon!!"  
  
"My eyes don't lie," Roy said. "I hated having to tell you this, but I couldn't simply ignore it like it never happened. I'm really sorry, Zel."  
  
Walking slowly over to a secluded corner, Zelda sank to her knees and began to weep softly. She'd thought that Link was being sincere...and yet it turned out that he was just like Marth.  
  
"I'm sorry," Roy whispered, taking her into an embrace that she didn't shove out of. "You'll be okay..." He kissed her forehead lightly, and she didn't protest.  
  
Knowing it was pointless to try and stop the flowing tears, Zelda leaned into Roy, hugging him tightly. "Th-thanks f-for always being there for me, R-Roy," she said in a whispered sob.  
  
$tarting to cry a bit himself, Roy kissed away Zelda's tears. "I know...just let the tears come out, Zel. It's okay to cry. I'm here for you."  
  
"I know..."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"You put him down there, right?" Malon asked her brother.  
  
"Yes, I did, stop worrying," Marth sighed. "As soon as you told him what to say, I gave him a little talking-to. He may be your ticket to getting Link into your arms, but he's been giving me loads of trouble lately." The prince gave a small chuckle. "I'm surprised, though, that he agreed to feed Zelda that cock-and-bull story when he cares for her so much, you know?"  
  
"Don't be ridiculous," Malon scoffed. "He'll be glad to get rid of the competition."  
  
"I understand what you mean, I'm just trying to say that maybe he'll feel bad lying to her like that and hurting her so much."  
  
"All that matters now is that Zelda is out of my way," Malon growled. "Do what you want with Roy later." The princess smirked, then motioned for Marth to follow her. "C'mere, there's something I want to show you."  
  
Marth walked over to his sister, and his eyes widened in shock when he saw her open a long, thin box. "It's King George's sword!! How did you manage to lay your hands on it?!"  
  
"Through a bit of persuasion," Malon answered. Marth reached out a hand for it, but she struck him down. The princess slipped on a pair of crimson gloves and picked up the handle. "His fingerprints still remain on the sword. All I need to do is bring this down to the cell, use it on Zelda, and..." She sighed dramatically with a nonchalant shrug. "It will appear as if the King has gone and killed her."  
  
Marth grinned. "You're terrible! You might as well get rid of Roy for me, too, as long as you're going, right?"  
  
Malon shrugged. "If it is what you wish." Smiling devilishly, Malon put the sword back in its sheath, and put in the box.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"NO!!!" screamed Din, looking down into her sacred pool thing.  
  
"What is it?" asked Farore, gliding up to her sister.  
  
"It's that conniving wench, Malon!" Din roared. "She's gone and told Zelda that Link doesn't love her anymore!!!"  
  
"Oh, NO!!" Farore gasped melodramatically, clapping her hands to her cheeks. "What ARE we going to do?!"  
  
"Something, obviously," Nayru muttered. "Maybe we can do something to Malon that'll make her--"  
  
"SHE WANTS TO GO AND MURDER ZELDA, YOU IDIOT!!!" Din shouted. "THIS IS NOT THE KIND OF PERSON YOU CAN JUST WALK UP TO AND REASON WITH!!! WE'RE OBVIOUSLY TALKING DANGEROUS, BARBAROUS VILLAIN HERE!!!"  
  
"Geez, stop making such an awful din," Farore said.  
  
"Hey, I wasn't named Din for no reason!" Din said back.  
  
As the two goddesses began to bicker, the third thought in deep concentration.  
  
"This'll take more planning then I thought," Nayru commented. "Come sisters, we must tell Impa of all this. And it is crucial that we prevent it, at all costs."  
  
"Tell my mother about what?" came a voice.  
  
The three goddesses twisted around and saw Dylan. The red-headed girl came out from her hiding spot and repeated the question. No response came immediately. "WON'T SOMEONE JUST TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON!?" she finally erupted.  
  
"You should be more polite when speaking to Goddesses!!" Farore sniffed.  
  
Dylan took a deep breath. "FINE. What is it that you want to tell my mother and that you are so anxious to prevent?"  
  
Nayru looked as if she were about to say something, then silently shut her mouth. "Sorry, that is confidential information. A child of your age might find it too...too, um... you may find it depressing."  
  
"What is that supposed to mean?!" Dylan cried, once again flailing her arms in the air. "I'm already twelve years old!! And if I hadn't been murdered nineteen years ago, I'd be in my thirties!! I'm mature! I can handle it!!"  
  
"If you were mature, you wouldn't be pestering us like this," Din said through gritted teeth. "Please just be a good girl and get Kathryn, Quentin and your mother for us, will you? This is very serious."  
  
"All right, all right, I'm going," Dylan sighed. As soon as she dissapated, Farore nudged Nayru roughly.  
  
"Why didn't we tell her?!"  
  
"It's like I said," Nayru said in a comfortable tone. "I don't want the girl to get too worried. Besides, nothing is definate yet. There's still time to keep Zelda alive..."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
relatively short, i know. but its the best i could do!!! plz review!! and i'm sorry it took so long...DEATH TO MELLIA!!!!!!!!!! 


	17. The Climax!

neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew chapter, people!! yipee!!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Later that night, Marth crept silently down to the small cell that contained Roy and Zelda. He was quite pleased to see that the two of them had managed to fall asleep... Zelda lying in Roy's loose embrace. That was what he'd been expecting, of course--he'd spread some sleeping powder around their cell earlier; which caused them to slip into a doze for several hours. Smirking, the Prince turned and walked back up the flight of steps.  
  
"Well?" Malon asked, once her brother returned to her bedroom. Marth grinned and nodded, and the princess immediately left the room, making a bee line for the library (she'd been told that that was where Link was).  
  
Indeed, she saw him sitting in one of the chairs, slightly slumped over. At the sound of her footsteps, Link looked up. "Have you seen Darryl?" he asked.  
  
"Erm...no, I'm afraid not," Malon responded. She took a deep breath, then slowly said, "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Link, but I...well, I bring bad news, I'm afraid."  
  
Link stood up. "What is it?"  
  
"Well...it's about...Zelda," Malon answered, choosing her words with caution. "She and Roy were both imprisoned earlier today."  
  
"Why?!" Link demanded.  
  
Malon gave a simple, solemn shrug. "I'm not sure, exactly...your mother got into a rather terrible quarrell with the two of them...they started talking back a bit...and so she got incredibly angry and threw them into a cell. I, myself, attempted to stop it by sticking up for Zelda and Roy. But alas..." She sighed. "Your parents turned deaf ears towards my pleading words."  
  
Link looked worried, then grimaced darkly. "It's easy to tell that you never liked Zelda...how do I know you're telling the truth?"  
  
"Ask Roy," Malon said. She sat down on a plush couch, and said, "Speaking of Roy, there's something else I think you should know about..."  
  
"What now?"  
  
"Well, you know Roy's always had this sort of...well actually, you probably wouldn't know, but Roy's been infatuated with Zelda for some time, now. You see, I'm left only with the assumption that Zelda has been trying to make him jealous, using you... Marth and I went just went down there to see how thing's were going, and we saw the two of them...how should I put it...lost in each other." The princess gave Link a provocative glance.  
  
Link sank back down into his chair. "You can't be serious!" he choked.  
  
"I'm deadly so, I'm afraid," Malon sighed wistfully. "I myself was rather shocked about the whole thing, and I asked Zelda about you...she seemed a little annoyed by my interruption, but said that she..." Malon winced slightly. "She said she really couldn't care less about what might happen to you."  
  
The prince stared at her, as Malon's words began to slowly sink in.  
  
"So then I told her that she could be sentenced to death for such words against the prince," Malon continued. "But she didn't really seem to care...it was all Roy, Roy, Roy. She's finally let her feelings out." Small tears came out of Malon's eyes. "I'm sorry, Link. I understand how much this must hurt you, but I couldn't stand to let it just go on right under your nose!"  
  
Slowly, Link shook his head. "Don't apologize, Malon. She's hurt me more than you ever will. Just please, get out...leave alone for a...while."  
  
"Of course." Turning to walk out the door, Malon grinned. The worst was over.  
  
The princess headed slowly towards her room. Humming softly to herself, Malon started to undress. She might as well take a bath before performing the ominous deed that laid before her.  
  
Peach came walking past Malon's bedroom, and heard soft singing coming out of it. Scowling in annoyance at the princess's glee, Peach walked on. She was ready to turn left around the corner, when Margaret came running into her.  
  
"What is it, Margaret?" Peach asked.  
  
"It's Link!" Margie cried. "I was walking past the library just now, and I heard crying coming from behind the door! At first I thought it was Nick because I was afraid he found out that I'd accidentally smashed his portrait of Princess Malon, but I was wrong and it was LINK!"  
  
"Link? Crying?!" Peach asked incredulously. "Are you sure?" She'd never seen her brother cry before.  
  
"Yes, I opened the door the tiniest bit, and I saw him sobbing crazily in the library! Peach, you've got to go console him! I'm only a child, I'd only make him feel worse!"  
  
"Um...well, I guess it...okay." Peach turned right, and walked quickly towards the library. She couldn't even begin to imagine what could make Link cry. The princess began to imagine the worst as she finally wrenched open the library doors.  
  
"What're you doing here?" Link asked, looking up from his postion on his chair.  
  
"Well, it IS our library, and you ARE crying," Peach answered, walking in and sitting in a chair facing him. "Link, you're a complete mess!! What ever is the matter?!"  
  
"Nothing that would interest you," Link sniffed, turning away.  
  
"Link, my brother is in a fit of sobbing hysterics, and I've never seen him do this before; at least not at such an age! Of course I want to know what's happened! Just tell me what it is!"  
  
Taking a deep breath and trying to stop his tears from flowing, Link looked up at his sister. "It's Zelda."  
  
Peach's eyes widened. "She's dead..."  
  
"No, but I wish she was!!" Link cried in frustration.  
  
"What on earth do you mean?! I thought that you--"  
  
"I thought I did too!" Link interrupted. "But that was only until I found out that I'm just...she was just...she used me!"  
  
"What do you mean 'used' you?" Peach demanded.  
  
"Sh-she was attempting to make Roy jealous," Link sobbed, running his hands through his hair in desperation. "They're doing fine by themselves now, just fine! Trying to make him jealous!! B-by making it look as if she loved me!"  
  
"She does love you!" Peach insisted.  
  
"How would you know?!"  
  
"Well you how do YOU know she doesn't?! Where did you hear this ridiculous story?! Did Zelda tell you herself?"  
  
"Of course not," Link muttered. "Malon told me."  
  
Peach hesitated. She almost laughed, but knew it would unbelievably unkind of her to do so right now. "Malon? And you believed her??"  
  
"I had to," Link insisted. "She told me to ask Roy if I didn't believe her, and besides, it all fits!"  
  
"What fits?"  
  
"The servant girl 'falling in love' with a Prince! Coincidental, isn't it? That I'm a rich royal, and she's a penniless servant! That's just perfect how it would've worked out for her, isn't it?!"  
  
"Link, you know it's not like that!"  
  
"I don't!" Link shotued. "And what d'you know? You didn't hear Malon w-when she told me! She feels bad for me! I should've paid her more attention than I have been--it's easy to see that she really cares for me!"  
  
"If she's so broken up, why was she singing just a--" Peach stopped in mid-sentence. Something had just clicked. Immediately, she stood up and swept out of the room. Link stayed in the library, continuing to torture himself with the lies Malon had guiltlessly fed him.  
  
Peach walked swiftly past the stairway to the kitchen and stopped when she saw Scarlett. "Excuse me, but have you seen Princess Malon recently?" she asked.  
  
"No, not since yesterday," Scarlett answered.  
  
The princess continued on her way, then stopped. It occured to her that she didn't know where Malon was, and couldn't do anything to stop her. Peach didn't know what Malon was up to, but she had to be doing something bad.  
  
She heard a door shut quietly to her right. Snapping her attention towards it, Peach ran towards the door and wrenched it open. She could see feminine figure walking down the stairs, holding a rather bulky object.  
  
Malon reached the foot of the steps, and unsheathed the sword she'd brought. Roy and Zelda were still asleep; completely unaware that they were to be meeting their deaths in the not-too-distant-future.  
  
Quietly, Malon opened the cell door. She raised the sword, when suddenly, someone grabbed her around the neck. The princess screeched in shock as the sword was knocked from her hands. The grip on her neck loosened, and Malon turned to see who had nearly throttled her. "PEACH!"  
  
"Yes, do you want to tell the whole world?"  
  
Malon lunged forward, but Peach reached her first, and shoved her against the wall. Malon struggled, but Peach held her there tightly.  
  
"What do you want?!"  
  
"You're going to listen to me, and what I have to say," Peach answered darkly. "I'd like to know what you were doing down here at this time of night with my father's sword in your hands!"  
  
"I was--I merely just came down to see how Zelda was--"  
  
"Don't give me such filthy lies!" Peach growled. "I can see right through you! You'd best start coughing up the truth! Link told me all about the little story you gave him, and let me tell you something--you've gotten him a tad more than 'upset' about it!! Going and telling him Zelda doesn't love him!"  
  
"That was the point!" Malon blurted angrily. "Besides, it doesn't matter anymore! She thinks that he's engaged to me!!" She suddenly stopped.  
  
Peach's expression turned even angrier (if that was at all possible). She looked from the sword to Malon, who she was still pinning against the wall. "So you thought you were going to kill her, hm?" Peach asked sourly. "Just bump her off, perhaps Roy too, and just skip away from it all? Do you know how stupid that was?!"  
  
Malon's mouth twitched, but she still remained silent.  
  
"And I've got another question! Just what makes you think that if you kill Zelda, Link will love you?!"  
  
"He'd never know I killed her!" Malon shrieked. "He'd never know!"  
  
"He would if I told him!" Peach screamed. "And this little meeting of ours isn't going to stay secret for long!"  
  
"We'll have to see about that one!" Gathering up all her strength, Malon lifted her feet off the ground and shoved them against Peach roughly. Then she leapt on top of her, slamming her into the gritty floor.  
  
Malon got to her feet and ran towards King George's sword. She walked back to Peach and thrust it at her. Peach barely managed to roll out of the way, quickly getting to her feet. She pulled a brass shield off the wall and held it up.  
  
Yelling in fury, Malon swung the sword repeatedly. Peach managed to block all the shots; but just scarcely.  
  
Starting to breath heavily, Malon lowered her arm. "If...I kill all three of you with this sword, no one will--"  
  
"You've gone insane!" Peach shouted. "What do you think you're doing?!"  
  
"It's called blind with rage!!" Malon screeched.  
  
"No," came a voice. "It's called stupid." A large cooking pan came out of apparently no where, and whacked Malon's head. Subsequently, the princess collapsed to the floor.  
  
Peach looked up to see Scarlett and Sophie; the first clutching the iron pan, and the latter holding a wooden roller.  
  
"How did--How'd you..." Suddenly, Peach's eyes rolled back and she fainted.  
  
Scarlett walked towards Malon and lifted her arm. "Well, she's not dead...still a pulse. That's good, I s'pose. Wouldn't want to be charged with murder."  
  
"But you'll be hung for attacking a princess!" Sophie squeaked.  
  
"No I won't," Scarlett said. "She literally doesn't know what hit her!"  
  
Zelda stirred, and slowly stood up; Roy's arms slipping off her (he was still snoozing away). She stared at the sight before her. "What in Din's name happened here?!"  
  
"Oh, Zelda!" Scarlett cried. "You wouldn't believe it! Princess Malon's done the most monstrous thing--she got into a huge fight with Princess Peach, and they nearly killed each other!"  
  
"We heard a commotion coming from down here, so we ran down the steps and hid behind the doorway," said Sophie. "We overheard their conversation, and--oh, Zelda!! Princess Malon's gone and told Prince Link that you don't love him anymore!!"  
  
"And then Princess Malon said that she had convinced you that Link was engaged to her," Scarlett said. "So we're telling you now--it's not true!!"  
  
"WHAT?!" Zelda shouted, her eyes widening. The news hit her like a ton of bricks. "Then Roy was set up?! Goddesses, I've got go find Link!!" Rushing up the stairs to find the Prince, Zelda nearly crashed into the door that led into the hallway...oops.  
  
"This is terrible!" Sophie cried, pulling at her hair. "Just horrid!"  
  
"So it is!" Scarlett wailed, also pulling at Sophie's hair. "But come on, we can't just stand here doing nothing...we'd better see that Princess Peach is taken care of!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Unbelievable," Din muttered.  
  
"What?" asked Nayru.  
  
"THE THREE OF US GO AND GIVE ZELDA HAND, PEACH, NAMELY, SAVE HER LIFE, AND HOW DOES SHE REPAY US?!"  
  
"In...rupees?" Farore joked.  
  
"BY USING OUR NAMES IN VAIN!!! HOLY ELVES!! HAVE THEY NO SHAME DOWN THERE?! DYLAN'S DONE THIS!! SHE'S LEFT A BAD IMPRESSION!!"  
  
"Calm down, Din, and stop making such a din," Farore said. "She was just really worried about Link...relax."  
  
Sighing, Din sat down. "All right, I guess I should just be glad that Impa and the others can breathe, now..."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
sry its been taking me so long 2 update, lately!! i cant help it!! but i hope that chapter was suitable...plz review!! 


	18. High Hopes or Crushed Dreams

~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Zelda walked down one of the castle's many passageways. Things had happened so fast; she had forgotten the way to the library. She heard the sound of small feet scampering up behind her, and Zelda turned.  
  
Ginseng meowed softly, making one of the cutest sounds Zelda had ever heard.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ginseng, I haven't got any time to play with you," Zelda said ruefully. "I'm doing something very important right now...go find Margaret; I'm sure she'd like to spend some time with you."  
  
Cringing in a neglected sort of way, Ginseng's eyes bulged with adorable tears, and he meowed again. When Zelda failed to respond, his eyes turned red and he suddenly leapt on top of her.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!"  
  
Link lifted his head out of his hands in the library and stood up. Who had just screamed? As the agonizing yells continued, he opened the doors. Running down one of the hallways, heard someone shout, "HELP!! I'M BEING ATTACKED BY MY POSSESSED KITTEN!!!"  
  
Hm. He didn't know of any kittens in the castle except for the one Peach had given Zelda...Link stopped. He knew he should help her, but he was also loathing her at the same time.  
  
Finally, Link turned the corner and saw Ginseng fleeing the scene of the crime. Zelda slowly stood up, her face covered in bloody scars.  
  
"...........ow."  
  
"Here," Link said simply, holding out a piece of cloth. Zelda looked up and stared at him. If he thought she hated him, why was he being so courteous?  
  
'Must be his job as a prince to be so polite,' Zelda thought to herself, gratefully taking the material and wiping off her face. "Thank you, your highness."  
  
Link hesistated, wondering if he should've told her just to call him by name. Rather stiffly, he bowed and started to walk away.  
  
"No, please wait!" Zelda cried, taking a few steps toward him and taking his arm gently. He turned, and she quickly let go. "I've got to...there's something I wanted to speak t-to about...it's really important."  
  
"Really?" Link asked. "Are you perhaps inviting me to your wedding with Roy? I doubt I'll be able to make it, seeing as how I'm so busy..."  
  
"Where on earth did you get that idea?!" Zelda asked. "The idea of me marrying Roy is ludicrous!"  
  
"Oh yes, how stupid of me," Link said sarcastically, becoming callous and leaning against the wall. "You don't marry for love; it's all about money, isn't it?"  
  
"What're you talking about?!"  
  
"About how you've been using me to make Roy jealous, that's what I mean, Zelda! Don't bother to deny it!"  
  
"What d'you mean, 'deny it;' I'm not denying anything!"  
  
"Another denial!"  
  
Zelda opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't think of a good come-back. Scowling, she turned her back to him.  
  
Grimacing, Link turned to leave. But someone stood in his way, causing him to fall down. "Who're--"  
  
"Get up," said Peach, holding out her hand. "And Zelda, don't you go anywhere just yet!" She coughed slightly. "I'm going to sort this out if it's the last thing I do!"  
  
"Peach, what's happened to you?" Link asked solicitously, getting to his feet.  
  
"If you must know, I just had to experience a bit of a battle with Malon," Peach answered coldly. "I'll have you know that had I not gone down those flight of steps, Zelda would be dead right now."  
  
Link stared at her. He didn't know how much of this aggrivation he could take. His gaze shifted to Zelda, but he quickly looked back at Peach as she continued:  
  
"Zelda wasn't the one who used you, Link. Malon was...in a way. While she had you convinced that Zelda was desperately in love with Roy, ROY had gone and told Zelda that you were engaged to Malon." The princess stopped for a breath, and let these words sink in.  
  
"He...he what? I'm a little confu--"  
  
"So while you were busy hating Zelda, Malon was planning to...to...well basically, she was getting ready to murder her." Peach took a few steps forward and put her hands on Link's shoulders. "As you may recall, Link, I told you that I've been forced into an engagement with Marth...and I told you to marry someone you love, since you have that choice. I don't. Please make the right decision..." She paused and let one tear fall. Peach then walked away, saying, "I'm going to go talk with Darryl," and left Link and Zelda alone to stare at each other.  
  
Each one was waiting for the other to say or do something first. The two idiots.  
  
Not two seconds after Peach had left, she came running back, chasing after her cat Harvey Girl, who had run off.  
  
"YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO RUN AWAY!!!" the two elves could hear Peach scream. "YOU'RE TOO FAT!!!"  
  
Blinking, Link and Zelda stared at each other once more. Suddenly, they both took a few quick steps forward and ran into each other's arms. Zelda's tears splashed shamelessly onto Link's shoulder as she grasped him tightly.  
  
"I'm so s-sorry!" she sobbed. "I-I thought th-that you loved Malon a- and that you had..." The rest of her words were muffled by the sound of her choking sobs; and she was therefore incomprehensible.  
  
"This happened so fast," Link whispered. "Malon came to tell me you didn't love me, and then Peach came to tell me you did, and then you...you..." Even though nothing too serious had happened, Link and Zelda both felt an extreme amount of guilt.  
  
Zelda turned her head and met Link's lips with her own; kissing him avidly. She backed up slowly into the wall behind her, as Link stroked her back with gentle hands. Exploring Link's mouth with her tongue, Zelda wiped away his tears with her free hands.  
  
Eventually, the two elves ended the kiss. There was a silence, until Zelda said, "That was quickly resolved."  
  
They smiled a little, both still a little shaken by the things Malon had done.  
  
Link breathed in heavily, then took a step back. "Zel, there's something I've got to ask you about."  
  
He took her hands, and got down on one of his knees...  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 


	19. So They Say

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"HOLY ELVES!!" screamed Din loudly.  
  
"What is it?!" asked Nayru, approaching her sister.  
  
Din turned around, wearing a gigantic grin. "Nayru, you're not going to believe it! You are NOT going to believe this!!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Quickly, go get Impa and the others," Din said. "I feel that they may want to know about this too!"  
  
As Nayru disappeared, Farore glided towards Din. "What's gotten you so excited, Din? What's happened?" Farore turned as Impa and her four other children (accompanied by Nayru) materialized.  
  
"A-hem." Straightening and putting on a very serious expression, Din said, "I am pleased to inform you that...Prince Link of Hyrule has proposed to your dau...Zelda."  
  
"Oh my goddesses, are you seri--" Before Dylan could finish her sentence, Nayru whacked her on the head.  
  
"He did?!" Kathryn gasped, suddenly feeling very short of breath.  
  
"What's a Hyrule?" asked Matt.  
  
"How splendid that is!" Quentin said in a subdued tone, giving a declaration that could've qualified for the understatement of the year.  
  
Impa stood there numbly. Happiness for her daughter silenced her, and she couldn't think of anything to say. After several minutes of this and of silent tears, she asked "And what has Darryl gotten up to?"  
  
"He knows the whole story now," said Farore. "However, he's still having a bit of trouble deciding what do with himself, now that he's found out he's not really royal. But I have a feeling that Queen Madeline and King George may have something to say if he decides to depart."  
  
"Leave the castle?" Dylan asked. "Why in heaven's name should he?"  
  
"Because," said Nayru, through gritted teeth, "he feels guilty. Like he doesn't really belong there."  
  
"It'll be interesting to see what happens," whispered Nayru.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Malon stood in her room. Her bags were all packed, lined up next to the door and waiting to get shoved into a carrige. She would not cry. She was calm. So it was true: she'd failed her goal of making Link love her...but she'd finally realized that such a plan could never succeed.  
  
King Marcum, Marth and Malon stepped outside a few minutes later and prepared to leave.  
  
"Have you seen Roy at all?" Marth asked, looking around.  
  
"No, I haven't," Malon responded. "Has he gone missing?"  
  
"Yes, I can't find him anywhere. . ."  
  
The Hylians had come out to say their good-byes. Peach's face was stained with tears, her mind full of the dread of the day that Marth was to come back to marry her...for some odd reason, he was going back to Altea now and their wedding had been postponed until further notice.  
  
Before stepping into the carrige after Marth and her father, Malon hesitated. She walked slowly towards Zelda, who was hanging in the back of the small crowd. Crying softly, she gave Zelda small hug.  
  
"I'm sorry," the princess whispered. "I'm so sorry, Zelda...I've been so foolish, and too blind to realize how much pain I've been causing you. If my mother were still alive, she'd be horrified at what I've done! Please forgive me!"  
  
Zelda stood there, shocked. Princess Malon was actually apologizing?? This was very out of character...she stiffened, and Malon let go. "It's all right, your highness."  
  
Straightening, the Altean princess said, "I wish you and Link the utmost happiness in the future..." With something of a strained smile, Malon stepped into the carrige, and Zelda watched it until it disappeared completely from view.  
  
Link walked up from behind her, and put his arms around her. She turned and clung to him. For once, things seemed to be looking up. Things were going right.  
  
"Tell me," Zelda whispered. "Do you know where Roy has gone? I haven't seen him for the past two days..."  
  
"I know where he's gone," said Scarlett, who had just exited the castle. "Sophie and I saw him running out of the castle...somewhat quickly after your engagement was announced ... I think it upset him a tad."  
  
Zelda and Link walked down the east side of the castle, heading towards the stables. They saw Darryl there, saddling up his favorite horse, named May.  
  
"Darryl, where are you going?" Link asked.  
  
Startled by their presence, Darryl turned around. "Oh, hello Link. Zelda." He sighed deeply. "Until your wedding is to take place, I have decided to go out on my own. Forage my way through the land...make a name for myself."  
  
"You're leaving?!" Link asked incredulously. "Do mother and father know?!"  
  
"No, I'm afraid their majesties don't," Darryl answered. "And I wish to keep it that way, if it's all right with you...I don't want...Queen Madeline to get upset; because I know she might..."  
  
"Must you really go?" Zelda asked.  
  
"I'm afraid so," Darryl answered, heaving himself on top of May. "Good-bye, Link...good-bye, sister." Giving them both last, loving looks, Darryl gently kicked his horse's flanks, and he set off.  
  
"I hope he'll be all right," Zelda sighed, leaning onto Link's shoulder. "He is, after all, my little brother."  
  
"We'll make him stay here after the wedding," Link decided, grinning. "Whether he wants to or not...mother will be most distraught about him being gone...he always WAS her favorite child, after all."  
  
Zelda turned and faced Epona. "I like these stables," she stated rather randomly, stroking Epona's furry cheek. "It's the...the first place we kissed, you know."  
  
"Yes, I know."  
  
Taking a deep breath, Zelda turned around and hugged Link. "When I was very little, my mother used to read me stories...fairy tales, if you will...and they always ended 'happily ever after,' with the prince and princess marrying because of their love. I always dreamed about that happening to me...falling in love. And it finally has. My mother told me that falling in love was wonderful..."  
  
"So they say," Link whispered, stroking Zelda's hair with adoration.  
  
"And there's no one else I'd like to share my life with than you," Zelda said softly, leaning forward to kiss her fiancé.  
  
Hm...now what's the line I meant to say...oh yes:  
  
And the two of them lived happily ever after.  
  
~THE END~  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N:  
  
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, yes, its been fun. this was really fun 2 write. and now its over. done. complete. dont u just hate that? o well.  
  
i am a total l/z obsessionist 4 those who dont already know, so if u r 2, i would suggest u read my other zelda stories!! total l/z romance!! (not 2 seem full of myself or anything)...  
  
luv u reviewers!! maybe i'll write an epilogue 2 this...then again maybe not???  
  
u r all great and once again: i luved writing this, so i hope u loved reading it!! 


	20. Short Epilogue

all right, all right, i'm adding an epilogue. just 4 the heck of it. anyone up for a random quote of the day? I am!! so here it is (not like u'll read it, but i will):  
  
"Damn it. . .don't you DARE ask God to help me."  
  
--Joan Crawford on her deathbed  
  
if any of u have ever heard of joan crawford/seen one of her films, PLZ tell me in ur reviews!! she's great!!  
  
anyway, back to the point: here's the epilogue to my story.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Zelda's eyes sparkled as Link carried her over to their bed. He positioned himself on top of her, then kissed her avidly.  
  
"I love you," she whispered, as his kisses traveled down her neck.  
  
"No one could've kept me from you," Link said softly, as he kissed her forehead tenderly. She kissed him again before speaking.  
  
"Malon nearly did."  
  
"But we're not here to talk or think about Malon," Link said, laying his head down next to Zelda's. "I think we saw quite enough of her at Marth and Peach's wedding." His smile twitched as he thought of his sister's unhappiness.  
  
"I wish there we something we could've done about that," Zelda sighed softly, snuggling up closer to her husband. "But it's in stone, now." She kissed his cheek, her lips traveling up the side of his face until she found his own. "I'm just so glad that Peach helped to bring us back together."  
  
"We owe this to her," Link whispered, until getting lost in another world for the rest of the night.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Peach sat up in her bed the next morning, feeling miserable. She buried her face in her hands, thinking about how the rest of her life had been messed up by just one person:  
  
Her husband was at a political meeting right now. Peach hoped that he'd get run over by a carrige on the way over. She hated her father for having made this deal with King Marcum, she hated Marth, she hated everyone in the world that there was to hate.  
  
Well, almost everyone. She had requested especially that Darryl come to stay in the castle with them. Peach had been quite insistent upon it; he was the only thing that she wanted near her except for her sixty billion cats.  
  
Life wasn't good, and it wasn't going to get any better. But she was just going to have to grin and bear it.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sophie skipped along one of the corridors, singing merrily. She bumped into Scarlett, nearly causing her to trip. "Oops, sorry Scarlett."  
  
"What're you so happy about, Sophie?" Scarlett asked.  
  
"I've just heard the most wonderful news!!" Sophie answered, clasping her hands together and twirling around. "I've been skipping about singing like an idiot nearly all morning long!!"  
  
"Well, what is it? Has Marth been killed? Has Squeaks come back to life?"  
  
"SQUEAKS!!!" Sophie wailed. "NO, no. . .I'm going to get a grip on myself." She paused, then smiled. "Scarlett, Princess Zelda's going to have a baby!!"  
  
"SHE IS?!" Scarlett asked. Sophie nodded. "Good Goddesses, woman!! This is the most spectacular news I've ever heard in my life!! Quickly, we must go prepare for it's arrival!!"  
  
"But Scarlett, the baby won't be hear for nine months, give or take a few weeks!"  
  
"Ahhh, good point," Scarlett said, squinting. "But that's no reason why would should be stopped!! Sophie, go and get Cody quickly, we're going to the market!!"  
  
"Okay!!"  
  
Scarlett twirled around, laughing happily, almost as though the baby that was going to be born was her own.  
  
Perhaps things would turn out all right.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
a/n:  
  
weird ending, i know, but that's it!! over, now! no sequel!! i never said i was gonna have a sequel, and i don't plan on writing one!! but if you want bloopers, that could easily be arranged. plz review and tell me if u want bloopers or not!! 


End file.
